In recent weeks Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and former health minister Zweli Mkhize have announced that they will be entering the race to contest against President Cyril Ramaphosa.
While provinces like Gauteng and Mpumalanga have made pronouncements on the president and deputy president positions, the KZN Provincial Executive Committee has stated that it will wait for branches to nominate leaders as it does not want to appear to be dictating to branches who should be supported. Instead, it said it would play a guiding role in the process.
Gauteng has endorsed Ramaphosa and treasurer Paul Mashatile while Mpumalanga has announced support for Ramaphosa and Ronald Lamola.
In a statement issued by ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo, the party said it “has identified the 19th and 20th September as dates for the Festival of Ideas to be held to consolidate a clear position towards the 55th ANC National Conference.”
“The African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal, through the Office of the Provincial Secretary issued an official communique to its regional secretaries highlighting what needs to be done to ensure that as the province we have a clear position towards the 55th ANC National Conference.”
The memo said regions must convene meetings with branches to discuss leadership preferences towards the national conference.
The meetings should be held from Monday to Tuesday this week and all regions are requested to make submissions to the provincial secretary’s office detailing reports from branches.
“As the ANC in KZN, we wish to remind our structures that it is the branches that control the power and the future of this movement.
“Therefore it is for these reasons, as elected leadership, we want the branches to take charge and determine a new socio-economic trajectory of this country – using the ANC as a vehicle,” the statement read.
The provincial ANC said: “It is therefore the time for the branches to engage robustly and openly on what tasks should be performed.
“Linked to this, branches must identify, on their own, leaders who are best suited to perform these tasks. This is in line with the constitution of the organisation.”