Amid intense lobbying for positions in the ANC top six, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s team is now in talks with people representing former health minister Zweli Mkhize.
Mkhize, once a blue-eyed boy of the Ramaphosa administration, was forced out of the cabinet after being implicated in the illegal awarding of over R150 million communication tenders to Digital Vibes.
The company is owned by family friends of the Mkhize family, one of them a former PA to the former minister.
Khabazela, as Mkhize is affectionately known, vowed to get even and launched a campaign to topple Ramaphosa.
So, what has changed?
Mkhize and his supporters from KwaZulu-Natal did not participate in the attempts to heckle Ramaphosa when he opened the conference yesterday.
While Zuma appears to be in charge of the KZN delegation of over 800 people, the truth is that Mkhize is KZN’s presidential candidate and he is no member of the disruptive so-called Radical Transformation Forces.
Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane, a key backer of Ramaphosa confirmed they are now in discussion with Mkhize’s lobbyists.
ANC delegates hardly slept a wink on Friday night as unofficial conferencing got underway in hotels in Sandton.
Details of these sessions are expected to influence the nomination of additional leaders to contest the top six positions.
Lobby groups are still trying to find a compromise between Ronald Lamola, Mabuyane and Paul Mashatile who are nominated for the deputy president position.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi said they will not compromise on the demand that Mashatile should be the deputy president.
Neither Fikile Mbalula nor Mdumiseni Ntuli are willing to pull out of the contest for the position of secretary general although they are both from the Ramaphosa faction.
It also emerged during interactions that patriarchy was standing in the way of getting more women into the top six.
Human settlements minister Mmamoloko Kubayi said the women’s lobby wants the conference to add the position of second deputy president to make up a top seven.
“If you want to challenge patriarchy you can’t play by its rules.
“It’s a patriarchal society, patriarchal organisation and the rules are in such a manner that they disadvantage women.”
She said they want three women in the top six or top seven.
A delegate nominated from the floor will need the support of 1 200 delegates to meet the threshold.
Pictured above: ANC President Cyril
Image source: EWN
