Contenders for Marius Fransman's job shaping up

Former Western Cape ANC leader Marius Fransman.

Former Western Cape ANC leader Marius Fransman.

Published Sep 7, 2017

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Cape Town - The race to replace disgraced former ANC Western Cape chairperson Marius Fransman is finally shaping up and by next week most of the contenders should be known.

Fransman was axed from the ANC for five years after a sexual harassment complaint from a 21-year-old Stellenbosch woman.

Khaya Magaxa, who acted in Fransman’s stead, indicated earlier this year that he wanted to step down from the position to focus on his role as SACP provincial secretary.

Thus far only Sammy Claasen, the former Bergrivier mayor, has thrown his hat into the ring, with social media posts and WhatsApp messages sent to ANC members and the media to announce his candidacy.

Earlier this year, Deputy Police Minister Bongani Mkongi also announced that he had ambitions of becoming the ANC’s Western Cape chairperson after he paid the venue hire where several regions called for the party’s provincial executive to be disbanded.

Both Claasen and Mkongi are supporters of President Jacob Zuma and by extension the presidential ambitions of Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

ANC provincial spokesman Lionel Adendorf said the party's provincial general council, which is the only meeting between conferences where elections can be held, had been delayed because of the auditing of the party's Western Cape branches, which is currently under way.

“The PGC was scheduled for the end of September but the (ANC) national working committee only approved the schedule (of meetings) towards the elective conference earlier this week. This has thrown things into disarray,” said Adendorf.

Only once the audit of branches was concluded, and it was known which branches would hold branch general meetings, would delegates be chosen for the provincial general council.

Claasen said if branches nominated him he would be willing to serve the ANC “in any capacity”.

“I've served the ANC in senior positions for the past eight to 10 years but it’s up to the branches,” said Claasen.

Having been out of power in the Western Cape since 2009, Claasen said the ANC’s greatest challenge was regaining the trust of coloured and black voters.

“We need leaders who are grounded in the communities, we don't want pen-pushers in offices. We have enough leaders to take up these struggles,” said Claasen.

The ultimate goal was to wrest control of the Western Cape from the DA in 2019, but that would only be done by electing “grassroots leaders”.

Provincial ANC Youth League spokesman Roscoe Jacobs said the league has not yet had discussions over who should lead the Western Cape.

“We’ll await instructions from the ANC’s regional executive committee over how the process will unfold. Next week we’ll meet with the ANC’s provincial executive,” said Jacobs.

ANC Dullah Omar region spokesperson Khaya Yozi was also keeping his cards close to his chest, saying that preferences over who should be the next provincial chairperson had not yet been discussed among the branches in the region.

“We'll discuss it when the time is right. On Saturday we'll be meeting with the PEC in Nyanga, who will give us the guidelines (for the election of the next chairperson),” said Yozi.

Political Bureau

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