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yesterday.
“The question of ANC leadership has been concluded from where we stand. Hands off our president,” Mabuza told delegates at the provincial nomination conference in Middelburg.

A total of 469 delegates from across the province, which is a Zuma stronghold, are nominating their preferred leaders for the ANC’s elective conference in Mangaung next month.

Mabuza urged delegates to “act accordingly” during the conference.
“In this current climate within the organisation, members should avoid any slightest confrontation and deliver a successful conference.”

The Mangaung conference should “draw a line” and deal with the current erosion of the values of the ANC.

“We agree with Zuma when he says the party needs to change into second gear after Mangaung. That time has come.”

Delegates chanted the names of their preferred leaders, including Zuma, national executive committee member Cyril Ramaphosa, secretary general Gwede Mantashe and ANC deputy chairperson Baleka Mbethe.

Meanwhile, the ANC’s second-biggest region in the country, the Eastern Cape’s OR Tambo, has backed Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe for the post of ANC president, SABC news reported on Wednesday.

A nomination for President Jacob Zuma, who already had the backing of the country’s biggest region, Ethekwini in KwaZulu-Natal, would have put him firmly in the lead to retain the post of ANC leader at the party’s elective congress in Mangaung next month.

Regional chairperson Thandekile Sabisa told the SABC that the party under Zuma had failed to address issues raised at the 2007 Polokwane conference.

“The use of state power, factionalism, ill-discipline, etc . . . this leadership has failed to address those issues. It’s not credible, it’s under attack and not respected by opposition parties,” he said.

“We then said that let’s find leadership that will be respected by the people of South Africa and the membership of the ANC. Comrade Kgalema Motlanthe, we believe, is the one that would bring back the dignity of the organisation.

“He can’t say no when the branches say ‘lead us’ because he knows that the organisation needs leadership of his calibre,” Sabisa told the broadcaster.

The region nominated Tokyo Sexwale as Motlanthe’s deputy, and Fikile Mbalula to replace Gwede Mantashe as secretary-general.

It wanted Thandi Modise to remain deputy secretary general and Mathews Phosa to stay treasurer general. Thenjiwe Mtintso was nominated as national chairperson.

It was still not clear whether Motlanthe, the ANC’s deputy president, would stand against Zuma. — Sapa.