Cape Town - After a hotly-contested ANC Western Cape elective conference, Faiez Jacobs emerged victorious as provincial secretary by a slim margin over incumbent Songezo Mjongile.
Jacobs has vowed to bring change to the ranks of the ANC in the Western Cape.
Stressing that there will be no purge of party members from rival caucuses before the elective conference, Jacobs said: “We are in a race to unite the province. We do not want in-fighting and vendettas; we want to move this organisation forward.”
Jacobs managed to secure 338 of the 670 votes at the party’s elective conference – a fraction more than 50 percent of the vote.
The rest of the top five is made up of chairman Marius Fransman, elected unopposed; deputy chair Khaya Magaxa with 376 votes; deputy secretary Tandie Manyikivana with 328 votes; and former deputy secretary Maurencia Gillion takes up the position of treasurer, securing 357 votes.
Other members of the provincial executive committee include Richard Dyantyi, Lulama Mvimbi, Andile Lili, Lionel Adendorf, Felicia Humphries, Jerimia Thuynsma, Zou Kota-Fredericks, Rhoda Bazier, Nondumiso Sono and Belinda Landingwe.
However, it was Jacobs who scooped all the attention. He emerged last year as one of the founding members of the Unity in Diversity (UID) group.
Jacobs stressed he is a loyal and committed member of the ANC: “In recent years people have become critical about the party moving further away from the masses that elected them. We want to change this.”
Jacobs added that he has been focusing on branches of the ANC to see what challenges members on the ground are facing.
“I have a great understanding of what issues are plaguing our branches. There’s a lot of goodwill still in the ANC and a lot of people are desperate for the party to be restored to its former glory. People want the old ANC – that beacon of hope – that assisted the poor and less fortunate.”
He said taking up office is a new challenge but added that he is on a “mission to take over the ship and steer it in the right direction”.
But who is Faiez Jacobs?
With a masters degree in Public Management and a long history serving on student structures, Jacobs believes he has the right credentials.
He was recruited to the Ashley Kriel detachment of MK and was part of the high school defiance campaign across the Cape. Jacobs was also a political detainee at Victor Verster prison in the late 1980s.
He believes his experience in this regard can help him get things running smoothly for the ANC in the province.
“I will have to give up my job as an independent contractor for Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs Minister Pravin Gordhan, but I’m ready to serve the party and the people of this province,” he added.
Mjongile could not be reached for comment. However, he posted on Facebook: “Congrats to the newly elected leadership. Thanks for the support and good wishes. It was really an honour to serve.”
Those close to Mjongile said while the race was close, they did not expect him to lose to Jacobs. “We did not see it coming. People are upset and shocked.”
Cape Argus