Durban - When the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal opens branch nomination boxes at its provincial offices on Thursday it is confident that former Health minister Zweli Mkhize will emerge as the preferred candidate for the position of president of the party.
ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo yesterday said this would be the culmination of the voting process in the province and boxes would be opened under the supervision of the party’s electoral commission, led by head of the commission, Kgalema Motlanthe.
As early as September, the province said it would back Mkhize for president, ANC treasurer Paul Mashatile for deputy, Stanley Mathabatha for national chairperson, Phumulo Masualle for secretary-general and Nomvula Mokonyane for deputy secretary-general.
Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma also announced she would run for president of the party.
“Before the nomination we consulted with branch representatives from the province and they indicated to us that it should be Mkhize,” Mtolo said.
He said Mkhize was respected at a national level by various provinces and was first elected to the National Executive Committee of the party in 2002 and has even served as treasurer general.
Mtolo said all qualifying branches which had held their branch general meetings and qualified would have their nominations counted manually.
This would then be consolidated and the candidate who has received the majority of nominations, per each of the top six positions, would be deemed nominated as the provincial nominee.
He said this process would also reveal the top 200 names for additional members as provincial nominees.
Mtolo called for unity in the party, regardless of the outcomes of next month’s elective conference.
“Our approach towards this conference is simple - whatever we do as members of the ANC, leaders and structures of the ANC, we must preserve the integrity and the originality of the African National Congress.
“This conference is a mere five days' event. There will be the ANC after the national conference. We must not behave as if at the national conference it will be the end of life,” he said.
THE MERCURY