The ANC in the Western Cape looks set to get behind Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa in his campaign to succeed party leader Jacob Zuma this December.
It is understood that the dissolution of the Dullah Omar Regional Executive Committee (REC) - the biggest ANC region in the province by membership - last week has paved the way for the pro-Ramaphosa camp, most of whom are in the Regional Task Team (RTT), to lobby the province’s branches to endorse Ramaphosa.
The disbanded REC has, according to sources, been working closely with the so-called Premier League provinces - Free State, Mpumalanga and North West - which are known supporters of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to take over from Zuma.
COMPETITION: Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
A Western Cape delegate at the ANC’s National Policy Conference (NPC) - Lazola Gungxe of the disbanded REC - unsuccessfully tried to disrupt a closed session chaired by the party’s national chairperson, Baleka Mbete, on Friday and was forced, tail between his legs, to apologise on Saturday.
The NPC began on Friday.
ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa acknowledged that “differences” occurred within the closed session, saying the party was a “rules-based organisation” which delegates had to respect.
“So, it is important that we teach our members discipline because these are chairpersons [of branches and regions] - the future leaders of the ANC,” Kodwa stressed.
“They must understand that when there is a chairperson, there is a reason that there is a chairperson. A chairperson must run the meeting in an orderly manner, which is what Comrade Baleka Mbete has been doing very well.”
Ramaphosa’s supporters in the Western Cape met in Tshwane, on Saturday evening, where a strategy was adopted to advance his campaign.
“On Saturday evening, it was confirmed that the CR17 (Ramaphosa) campaign must have a nine-province strategy, which includes contesting ideas even in the Women’s and Youth Leagues,” a source, who also chose to remain anonymous, said.
“We believe that there are no provinces that are ‘no-go’ areas. The essence of the campaign is that we are fighting to save the ANC from corrupt tendencies and capture.”
The Western Cape has sent a delegation of 155 people.
Kodwa told The Star “the national leadership, represented by the officials (or Top 6), will visit the Western Cape soon after the conference to understand what led to that disbandment because our view is that we need stability in that province.”