Mabuza: I’ll give up my deputy presidency nomination for unity in ANC

ANC Mpumalanga chairperson David Mabuza said he is willing to give up his nomination as deputy president of the ANC if it means it will unite the party.

“I am willing to sacrifice myself for the sake of unity‚” he said.

On Friday‚ the majority of ANC branches in Mpumalanga nominated “unity”for the top six positions‚ creating confusion as to who the province actually want to take over the reins of the party.

Speaking to journalists after the provincial general council in Nelspruit‚ Mabuza explained that when the branches nominated unity‚ it was a vote for consensus on leadership.

He said unity means there should be no slates. Instead‚ there should be negotiation between candidates and leadership should be agreed to without any contestation.

“If we are saying that unity of the ANC must be put first‚ that means the leadership of the ANC that we are going to elect is going to be achieved through consensus‚” Mabuza said.

He reiterated his message that the ANC could not afford another split as a result of slate politics.

“We said‚ let’s unite as leaders. Let us not contest. Let us put leaders together - all of us - and we say this one will lead ... this one will lead‚” Mabuza noted.

There was confusion over whether the nomination of “unity”by the majority of the branches for all top six positions should be regarded as abstentions.

For the position of ANC president‚ 223 branches nominated “unity”while Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma got 123 formal votes‚ ahead of Cyril Ramaphosa’s 117 votes.

The official nomination announced by the electoral agency was a mix between the two slates supporting Dlamini-Zuma and Ramaphosa.

Mabuza was nominated as deputy president‚ Gwede Mantashe as chairperson‚ Senzo Mchunu as secretary general‚ Jessie Duarte as deputy secretary general and Paul Mashatile as treasurer general.