Former president Jacob Zuma seems to have left it too late for his announcement that he was available to serve as ANC chairperson to change the minds of the ruling party's branches in at least three provinces.
South Africans woke up yesterday to find that Zuma had, in an overnight statement, not only announced his availability but also backed his former wife and current ANC NEC member Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to contest for the ANC presidency.
He added that he had been approached by ANC cadres who believe he has a contribution to make towards the so-called renewal of the party if he stands for the position of national chair. If branches nominate him, Zuma announced, he will heed the call and stand to return to the ANC top six, which he has not served in for the past five years.
This has, however, not persuaded some of the provinces that had already expressed their preferred candidates to budge.
Gauteng provincial secretary Thembinkosi “TK” Nciza said there was nothing the province could do or say about Zuma’s announcement. “The process is now in the hands of the branches already. We have raised our view as Gauteng on the name of Stan [Mathabatha] but we can't dictate what the branches will say.
“He is our leader and we respect him, but we have raised our views on this matter as a province. He is a leader of the ANC, a member like any other member. He has a right to stand [for the position].
“What we respect is the constitution of the ANC, which says a member has a right to elect or be elected. That on its own binds me as a leader of the ANC,” Nciza said.
Mpumalanga provincial secretary Muzi Chirwa also held the same view.
“We are concentrating on the political position that we have taken as a province of Mpumalanga. We can’t talk about other positions that are not from our province. By the way, each and every member has a right to be elected so long as he or she is in good standing.
“We can speak only on our position as a province, that is the one we are using to lobby and be lobbied by other provinces.
“We can only note the development, we may not know what informed this development. It does not change our position and will not be able to change our position. We are moving forward to lobby for the president, comrade Cyril Ramaphosa, comrade Ronald Lamola as deputy president and Gwede Mantashe as the national chairperson,” Chirwa said.
KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo could only say: “We’ve made our announcement on the leadership of the ANC, the country knows it.”
In his four-page statement, Zuma said he believed that Dlamini-Zuma “remains the most capable to lead the ANC”.
He cited Dlamini-Zuma's track record in the party, the many positions she has occupied in the government since 1994 and her “leadership capabilities and her understanding and knowledge of the ANC, among others”.
Zuma said those opposed to Dlamini-Zuma's candidature for ANC president have “dismally failed” to present a better candidate but instead have thrown around names of “those who have a lot of money”.
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