Johannesburg – 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.
“We respect the leadership of the ANC. We are the subordinates of the party. The delegates have spoken, and we respect their decision. I think branches of the ANC have spoken what they said in 2017 and they have spoken against slate politics,” Mtolo said.
Mtolo said the province accepted that it was not represented in the top seven of the party’s leadership, but the delegation took no offence at that.
“There is no law that says there must be a person from KwaZulu-Natal in the top seven. We cannot elect leaders according to geographical locations.”
He said the province’s voters had presented their views and had negotiated hard to see their preferred candidate win. Nevertheless, he said the province had accepted the outcome and would not challenge it.
One of President Ramaphosa’s supporters, Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele, said he was elated at the outcome of the ANC elections. He said Ramaphosa would continue his renewal project for the next five years.
“I am excited for my country; I feel like a baby. The ANC branches have spoken, and now they are sending the leadership to go and work, I am happy this was a collective effort,” Gungubele said.
Groups of people sang songs in defence of Mkhize, who had lost the elections, but in the same manner, others sang songs rejoicing in the Ramaphosa victory.
The national conference was expected to finish on Tuesday with a closing address by President Ramaphosa.
ANC NEC member Derek Hanekom said the Ramaphosa caucus had presented a “dynamic range of leaders” to serve on the party’s top structure.
The Star