We are shocked by the sudden surge in membership numbers in KwaZulu-Natal.

It leaves us ordinary party members wondering: How is it that elsewhere numbers have dropped? What happened to those members?

Indeed, the leadership race will never be fair. KwaZulu-Natal is taking a third of the voting crowd to Mangaung, which makes it clear that Jacob Zuma will retain his position. It's time we looked at the legacy we want to leave our children. This president is too expensive and is compromising the party. - Michael Mokoena, Soshanguve

AS FACTIONS in the ANC announce their candidates, two types seem to appear. One is the Anyone-But-Zuma (ABZ) clique, which believes in individualism, and the other is the pro-Zuma group, which believes in collectivism.

The ABZ camp appears to hold the view that all ANC woes emanate from President Jacob Zuma.

It holds the extreme view that Zuma somehow managed to force the NEC to expel Julius Malema, and that Zuma alone managed to influence the disciplinary committees to rule against Malema.

It is no wonder then this faction thinks by replacing Zuma, it will have all the answers to its problems.

Of course, that mission is misguided.

The pro-Zuma group, conversely, holds the view that it is collective leadership that must be entrenched within the ANC. It believes an individual cannot be expected to change things. Also, before taking a major decision, the president must consult, instead of being a demigod.

The collective leadership principle seems a better view than the individualistic ABZ faction, which does not appear to base its "change" calls on the ideology of the ANC. - Kwazi Mthembu, Naledi

INSTEAD of naively handing the safe keys to those in the ANC who exert their presence the most forcefully, shouldn't we be more critical of how we select our future leaders? ("GP rejects Mbalula", yesterday).

I propose that your newspaper highlights each ANC nominee's last four years in office so we can justify (or otherwise) their selection for the top position. The suitability of other candidates could also be explored.

In this day and age, having spent time on Robben Island shouldn't be a prerequisite. A whole generation has been educated since 1994. We need civilian leaders who can turn our country around, not revolutionaries.

We may not all have a vote at Mangaung, but we can try and influence choices that will be made in December by exposing what's on offer.