The ANC National Youth Task Team (NYTT)’s slate is about uniting the ANC, says spokesperson Sizophila Mkhize.
The NYTT endorsed former health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize to replace President Cyril Ramaphosa as the next ANC president when the party holds its elective conference at Nasrec next month.
“I think everyone knows there are factions within the ANC. The task team chose candidates from the various slates based on who we thought would make the best combination for the ANC leadership.
“For example, although we nominated Zweli Mkhize to be president, we also nominated Fikile Mbalula who is on Ramaphosa’s slate. You can say we are uniting the ANC by bringing everyone into the same slate,” said Mkhize.
She added that while there may not be young people (under 35 years of age in ANC terms), it would be short-sighted to look only at the top six as the leadership of the ANC.
“Conference is going to elect more than 80 people and not only the top six. The majority of the people who will be elected at Nasrec will be young people,” said Mkhize. She added that the task team would be “realising the list of all those it preferred to be in the national executive committee”.
Two other NYTT members at the marathon meeting that lasted until the early hours on Monday independently told Sowetan most of the night was spent horse trading for positions. Delegates were fluid in their choices and not constrained by slates.
According to an NYTT member present at the meeting, outcomes of the meeting reflect the three streams within the ANC youth structures.
Another insider said the initial assessment of the meeting was that it was divided between three candidates, Ramaphosa, Mkhize and Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma with the nominees having 16, 16 and eight supporters respectively.
“Supporters of mama (NDZ) realised that they will be a minority and that is when the lobbying started,” said an insider.
Of the 40-person NYTT members, 19 voted for Mkhize, beating Ramaphosa by two votes (17 votes). This meant that four of Dlamini-Zuma’s slate split their votes between the two leading candidates.
Another person said the meeting chose to endorse Zweli Mkhize as the party’s next president because he is seen as a middle of the road candidate among extreme viewpoints.
Mkhize and Ramaphosa are increasingly emerging as the two main contenders to face-off in Nasrec, with the likes of Dlamini-Zuma's, David Mabuza's and Lindiwe Sisulu’s campaigns seemingly running out of steam.
The youth league, women’s and veteran’s leagues make three of the 12 ANC provinces with the balance made up by geographic provinces.
The NYTT was set up after the dissolution of the ANC Youth League in 2018 after it failed to organise an election to replace the cohort lead by Collen Maine.
Most of its members were picked by now-suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule and the late Jessie Duarte, his deputy. Ramaphosa’s supporters were a minority in the 21-person team.
An NYTT delegate at the meeting said Mkhize won the night because he is seen as the middle ground between those who want Ramaphosa out but are uncomfortable with the RET lobby, and those who identify with RET but believe that supporting Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma might split the vote against Ramaphosa.
“We decided to support Mbalula because it would not make sense for the youth league not to support a [former] president of the ANC Youth League if he became available for a position,” said the insider.
“We rejected the offer to make NDZ the S-G because we wanted to normalise the idea of women contesting the top position. It is not about whether she can win or not, even though she is confident that she can, it is about normalising the idea of women contesting the presidency until they win.”
The meeting unanimously voted for Paul Mashatile to be deputy president. Nomvula Mokonyane defeated Febe Potgieter for the secretary-general position. Stan Mathabathe beat David Masondo after a revote to claim a place as the team’s preferred candidate to be chairperson and Mbalula bested Phumulo Masualle while Pule Mabe defeated Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane for the role of party treasurer-general.
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