Cyril Ramaphosa has won a brutal campaign battle against Zweli Mkhize for the position of president of the ANC.
This as thousands of delegates have descended on Nasrec, south of Johannesburg, to attend the party’s 55th National Conference.
Check out IOL’s blow-by-blow accounts of what went down on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday here.
IOL will continue to bring you live, rolling coverage of the events at Nasrec in Johannesburg.
UPDATE: The press briefing concludes.
UPDATE: Mbalula says his time is up in government and his job is now in Luthuli House. He says he's been thinking of lots of ideas to save Luthuli House, paying staff salaries and ANC being a campaigning party. He says there's a lot of work with very little time to relax.
UPDATE: Pule Mabe says there are a number of incidents that have to be reported to Mbalula's office, including the defiance of Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, who is speaking freely with the media in party matters. He said that no government spokesperson should be behaving in that matter.
Mabe said he has sent some comrades to speak to him.
"Cadres take chances....= That time of taking chances is over," Mabe says.
UPDATE: Mbalula says all conferences should be completed by May 2023.
He says the ANC Youth League should be ready for its conference by March, and the Women's League is ready for conference now. He says there will be a deadline for conferences to be held in the first half of next year. Parliament has been referred to the disciplinary committee of the party. He says they are seized with the matter, and that's where it is at the moment.
UPDATE: Mbalula says that the strength of the ANC is in healthy contradictions. He encourages healthy engagement. He says no one should be insulting those with politic analysis, it's better to engage properly and healthily.
UPDATE: Again Mbalula speaks on how he intends on reigning in some ANC members "who are caught sleeping on the job". He says he has seen how some comrades work and those caught sleeping on the job will have him to answer to.
UPDATE: Mbalula says the defiance by party members in Parliament has been referred to the disciplinary committee of the party. He says they are seized with the matter and that's where it is at the moment.
UPDATE: Mbalula commenting on the ongoing legal battles between Ramaphosa and former President Zuma. He says the party's stance is to ensure there is cordiality between members. "We should be able to engage if there are issues. As the SG of ANC, I will be expected to engage with these leaders to ensure there is decorum in the organisation," he says.
UPDATE: Mbalula says that starting January, people will see a different ANC. A disciplined and robust ANC is a party of solidarity. He says the NEC will also be made up of more younger people with energy to take the party forward. He reiterates that he will not allow ill-disciplined members to run amok. He said he was at pains not being Secretary-General and watching ANC members do as they please. "When you insult Ramaphosa, you insult the party," he said.
UPDATE: Pule Mabe says the ANC's 55th National Conference is expected to conclude at around 3pm on Tuesday.
UPDATE: Mbalula says that if members of the ANC do not want to follow the party line, they should go elsewhere.
He says he will deal with those members who are ill-disciplined.
"If you call yourself an ANC member, there are rules," he says.
UPDATE: Mbalula says the financing of the ANC is a support for democracy. He says the ANC has not been running itself well, that NEC members insult its leader and contradict itself. He says this will no longer happen under his watch. "They must be ready for me." "It will be me and them."
He also says that he has enough of an army to take on EFF leader Julius Malema and the DA. He has also vowed not to tweet from his own Twitter account in the middle of the night. He vowed to be disciplined in his own actions on social media.
UPDATE: Mbalula says that media will be allowed to engage with members of the newly elected Top 7 on Tuesday afternoon. This will be led by re-elected President Cyril Ramaphosa
UPDATE: President Ramaphosa is also expected to deliver the closing address tomorrow.
UPDATE: A decision was taken by the NEC that Bathabile Dlamini would be eligible to stand for the new NEC.
Mbalula says that the NEC results will be presented tomorrow.
UPDATE: Mbalula says there will be briefing sessions when commissions report on all issues through the night and throughout tomorrow. He says this was not a completely closed conference. The ANC has received some flack from the media for having so many closed sessions with some claiming the public has been left in the dark which is unacceptable for a governing party discussing policy matters.
UPDATE: Mbalula says there has been no discussion on the Phala Phala report during this conference as yet.
UPDATE: Mbalula says if it was his decision alone, he would resign from his position as Minister of Transport. However, he will have a meeting with President Ramaphosa and others to advise on when would be the best time for him to resign so he can focus his attention on party matters.
UPDATE: Newly elected Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula is alongside Pule Mabe in a media briefing at Nasrec, Johannesburg now. This is his first media briefing in his new capacity in the ANC's Top 7, which was announced earlier today
Lack of national representation in ANC’s new top 7 says analyst
The results of the ANC’s elective conference this weekend has raised concerns about the lack of national representation within the ruling party’s highest echelons.
President Cyril Ramaphosa beat Zweli Mkhize for the party leadership while Paul Mashatile was elected deputy president, Gwede Mantashe retained the chairperson position, Fikile Mbalula became secretary-general, Nomvula Mokonyane first deputy secretary-general, Maropene Ramokgopa second deputy secretary-general, and Gwen Ramokgopa was elected treasurer-general.
Read the full story here
Victory strengthens Cyril Ramaphosa but Phala Phala matter puts Paul Mashatile in pole position to become next president
OPINION: Depending on how the Phala Phala matter pans out, Mashatile may end up occupying the highest office as president of the republic, writes Professor Sipho Seepe.
Read his opinion piece here
ANC’s Top 7 women: are the Ramokgopas related?
There has been some uncertainty around whether two out of the three women elected to the ANC’s Top 7 positions are related or not?
On Monday, former Gauteng health MEC Dr Gwen Ramokgopa was announced the governing party’s new treasurer-general at the ANC’s elective conference held in Nasrec, Johannesburg.
Read the full story here
ANC’s 55th Elective Conference: Cosatu happy with outcome, calls for unity and renewal
Cosatu president Zingiswa Losi says the newly elected ANC leadership would have to renew the party and unite it.
She said they were happy with the outcome of the conference despite Cosatu not backing any candidate for the top job in the ANC.
Read the full story here
Global financial markets react positively to Cyril Ramaphosa’s victory as ANC president
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decisive victory at the ANC elective conference was widely welcomed by the international financial markets, with the rand strengthening against all three major currencies.
By noon on Monday, shortly after the results of the ANC’s elective conference was announced, the rand strengthened to R17.28 to the dollar after opening the day on R17.59 and way up from Friday’s opening of R17.63.
Read the full story here
ANC KwaZulu-Natal throws its support behind new top seven
The ANC’s provincial secretary in KwaZulu-Natal, Bheki Mtolo, said the province welcomes the new leadership of the party under President Cyril Ramaphosa following his election to lead the party for the next five years.
KwaZulu-Natal was opposed to the election of Ramaphosa for a second term. The province had nominated former Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize as their preferred candidate for the leadership of the party.
Read the full story here
ANC members in hot water after taking photographs of ballot papers
Two ANC delegates are facing criminal charges after they were caught photographing ballot papers.
More delegates might also face criminal charges as some were caught with signal jamming devices at the party’s 55th national elective conference on Monday.
Read full story here
A Big Thank You to the Women's League, the Branches and ALL The Comrades who Believed!
— Dr Gwen M Ramokgopa (@DrGwenR) December 19, 2022
Time To Work!!!#Malibongwe#Renewal pic.twitter.com/8gYJyhAoL1
Women in ANC top roles - step in the right direction for gender balance?
The ANC’s top seven officials have been announced at the governing party’s 55th national conference at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Nasrec, with three women making the cut.
ANC NEC member and the party’s national head of organising Nomvula Mokonyane snatched the position of first ANC deputy secretary-general with 2195 votes.
Read the full story here
UPDATE: Mabe says in the build-up to the National conference there were people bashing the ANC and referring some of its leaders as crooks. The President of the ANC, when he delivered his political report, pointed to these issues.
Mabe says each delegate must leave the conference to work for the unity of the ANC. They had different preferences, but the wishes of branches have prevailed.
Mabe says he is going back to corporate. He says he is going to his professional space. He says even if he was elected TG he would have still gone back to corporate world.
Mabe says he is happy with the outcome of the conference. It is worth celebrating because it did not collapse.
UPDATE: Mabe says the ANC will now focus on the 2024 elections. He says the new Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula will be accessible to the media as he is not media shy.
Mabe says Mbalula may brief the media at 2pm.
WATCH: Cyril Ramaphosa re-elected as ANC president at 55th National Conference
UPDATE: Mabe says he has spoken to Ramaphosa and Mashatile that they engage the media after the conference. They will talk about key policy positions the party has adopted at the conference.
Mabe says Mzwandile Masina demobilised because his name was still on the ballot paper. He says they fully support the newly elected leadership.
Mabe says the newly elected leadership is the democratic choice of the members. He says one of the things that motivated him to contest the position of Treasurer-General was that it was no longer going to be full-time.
Mabe says they will support the new Treasurer-General Gwen Ramokgopa. He says they have three women in the Top Seven.
UPDATE: ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe says Kgalema Motlanthe, who chairs the Electoral Committee, is continuing with the business of the nomination of new NEC (National Executive Committee) members.
Mabe says those who did not make it to the Top 7 will be added to the ballot paper. There are currently 200 members who were nominated by branches for the 80 positions in the NEC.
Mabe says new Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula asked him to continue with the communication team.
UPDATE: THIS IS THE NEW TOP SEVEN LEADERSHIP OF THE ANC
President: Cyril Ramaphosa
Deputy President: Paul Mashatile
National Chairperson: Gwede Mantashe
Secretary-General: Fikile Mbalula
Deputy Secretary-General: Nomvula Mokonyane
Second Deputy Secretary-General: Maropene Ramokgopa
Treasurer-General: Gwen Ramokgopa
WATCH THE TOP SEVEN ANNOUNCEMENT LIVE HERE
UPDATE: Nomvula Mokonyane has been elected the 1st deputy secretary-general of the ANC. She got 2195 votes while her competitor, Tina Joemat-Pettersson, got 2145 votes.
UPDATE: Fikile Mbalula is the new ANC's secretary-general with 1692 votes. He defeated Phumulo Masaulle who got 1590 votes and Mdumiseni Ntuli who got 1080 votes.
UPDATE: Gwede Mantashe bounces back as national chairperson of the ANC with 2062 votes. He defeated Stanley Mathabatha who got 2018 votes and David Masondo who got a mere 280 votes.
UPDATE: Paul Mashatile elected as deputy president in a hotly contested race.
UPDATE: CYRIL RAMAPHOSA WINS SECOND TERM AS ANC PRESIDENT
UPDATE: Kgalema Motlanthe, the ANC's electoral committee chairperson, asks the outgoing top six to vacate the table as a new leadership of the party for the next five years is to be announced. The hall remains tense, but both factions appear to be certain of victory.
UPDATE: The ANC's elections are about to be announced. Kgalema Motlanthe, the chairperson of the party's electoral committee is now on the podium to kick off the much-awaited process.
UPDATE: ANC Electoral Committee chairperson Kgalema Motlanthe has released the NEC, getting ready to announce the results
ANC top 7 needs to address dwindling party membership dilemma
The new ANC leadership is expected to be seized with addressing the governing party’s dwindling membership which has plummeted in at least eight provinces by more than 300 000.
This was just during the five-year term of the outgoing ANC national executive committee (NEC) led by Cyril Ramaphosa with David Mabuza as his deputy, Gwede Mantashe as national chair, and Paul Mashatile treasurer-general while suspended Ace Magashule was deputised by the late Jessie Duarte.
Read the full story here.
Ramaphosa haunted by court summons amid NEC conference
With the countdown to the crowning of the new ANC president close to being delivered, there is a looming threat. Incumbent party leader Cyril Ramaphosa faces more woes – he has to answer to the courts.
Former president Jacob Zuma instituted a private prosecution in the Johannesburg High Court, for which Ramaphosa is due to appear in court next year.
Read the full story here.
Money in leadership contests is selling ANC to highest bidder - Mantashe
ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe has warned that the use of money in the governing party’s internal leadership elections will affect the quality of its leaders.
The mineral resources and energy minister called for the ANC and its tripartite alliance partners to have an honest discussion about the quality of leaders they elect for various structures.
Read the full story here.