Voting starts after dramatic nomination process at ANC KZN conference

After a dramatic nomination process, voting is now under way at the 8th ANC Provincial Conference in Pietermaritzburg.

Delegates spent the entire night at the Royal Show Grounds in a gruelling verification process and the nomination process only began at around 08:30.

For the position of provincial chairperson, current chairperson Senzo Mchunu will go head-to-head with current provincial secretary Sihle Zikalala.

Tensions flared during the nomination for deputy secretary when Mbali Myeni was nominated, she did not meet the threshold and delegates called for a recount while others called for a secret ballot.

Delegates were divided and Treasurer General Zweli Mkhize intervened.

Deputy Secretary General Jesse Duarte took the stage and told delegates that because the conference was divided into two sides, there should be a recount for the nomination. After a recount, Myeni qualified.

Briefing the media: "We knew when we came here that this was going to be a highly contested conference…We had an interesting moment during the nomination process when a technical situation was escalated into a principal primarily because they feared filibustering that might take place."

“Obviously KZN is very important to the ANC... However we had to get past the question of who leads the province for the ANC and by tomorrow night [Sunday] we will know who it will be. The contestation is quiet deep."

When asked about the divisions, Duarte said: "It is intense and candidates have strong views about who they want to lead them. But hopefully they will be able to unite the ANC going forward.

"We are not worried. We anticipate that throughout the whole conference there will be hot debates and contestation."

When asked how the ANC would handle the issues of two centres of power should Mchunu be unseated as the chair, Duarte said the ANC would handle it like it was handled in Gauteng.

"There we have David Makhura as premier and Paul Mashatile as the chairperson, in the Northern Cape we had John Block and Sylvia Lucas. I think it could be difficult but we don’t anticipate that.

When asked about gender parity she said she was not satisfied with the representation of women in the top five nominations.

"Most of the delegates have nominated mainly males in the top five, hopefully they will rectify it when it comes to the additional members. They are compelled to have a 50/50 in the PEC.

"Personally I don’t feel great that there are a few women but there is a good crop of people who have been nominated," she said.

President Jacob Zuma is expected to address the conference later on Saturday.

Other positions are being contested by:

Deputy Chairperson: Willies Mchunu and Peggy Nkonyeni

Secretary: Super Zuma and Nhlakanipho Ntombela

Deputy Secretary: Mbali Myeni and Mluleki Ndobe

Treasurer: Mike Mabuyakhulu and Nomusa Dube-Ncube

Source: News24