ANC leadership's race against time to stop party from splitting in two

Gauteng ANC chairperson Paul Mashatile and his North West counterpart Supra Mahumapelo will today convene a meeting of provincial chairmen to lobby party leaders to agree on a single leadership list in an attempt to avoid a split after the national conference.

The meeting comes as the majority of branch delegates in Mpumalanga nominated “unity” instead of choosing between the two frontrunners — deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Mabuza told the Sunday Times he would push for ANC leaders to agree to back one candidate and accommodate each other to avoid a divisive contest.

Mabuza’s concern is shared by many as another split could cost the ANC in the 2019 elections. The party’s support has dropped sharply since the 2014 general election in which  it received more than 62%.

There are fears that support for the party could for the first time dip below 50% should the losers walk away. It only managed 54% nationally in last year’s local government elections.

However, ANC KwaZulu-Natal chairman Sihle Zikalala said although they would listen to proposals, his province would not support an arranged leadership outcome.

Read the full story in the Sunday Times.