Being women will make it “tough”‚ say ANC premier candidates

14 March 2018 - 15:35 By Siphe Macanda
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The two premier elects‚ Sisi Ntombela and Refilwe Mtshweni.
The two premier elects‚ Sisi Ntombela and Refilwe Mtshweni.
Image: @MYANC via Twitter

The newly announced ANC candidates for the Free State and Mpumalanga premierships have admitted that it will not be easy for them when they take up their new positions‚ considering that they are women.

On Wednesday the party announced new premier elects in two of its provinces. They will replace Ace Magashule (Free State) and David Mabuza (Limpopo) after the pair were elected as secretary general and deputy president respectively at the December ANC conference.

Magushule announced the two premier elects‚ Sisi Ntombela and Refilwe Mtshweni‚ at a post National Working Committee (NWC) meeting media briefing at the party headquarters‚ Luthuli House.

Making their first media address as after the announcement‚ the two thanked the party for trusting in women leadership to command the two provinces.

Ntombela said: “I would like to thank the organisation for making sure that I am one of the Thuma mina [“send me”] to lead Free State. I know that it is not going to be easy just because I am a woman. I know that it will be tough‚ but I promise that I will do my best”.

She said she would make sure she delivered on the mandates that ANC deployees were given by its branches during the December conference.

Adding to that‚ Mtshweni said that‚ as the Mpumalanga premier‚ she would do her best to steer the “ship” into the right direction.

“We need to take into cognisance the plight of our people and make sure that we are addressing challenges that they are facing‚” she said.

The announcement follows a NWC meeting held on Monday‚ which‚ among other things‚ elaborated on numerous reports‚ including the long-awaited Sbu Ndebele Commission report on the Eastern Cape elective congress which elected an Oscar Mabuyane-led provincial executive committee.

Magashule announced that the fate of the Eastern Cape PEC now lies with the National Executive Committee.

“The NWC noted the Sbu Ndebe Reportle and it will be put to the NEC for consideration‚” Magashule said.

He said that the ANC has also noted that the Eastern Cape disgruntled group had approached the Constitutional Court to seek relief.

TimesLIVE understands that the group is frustrated by the protracted implementation of the Sbu Ndebele report recommendations. TimesLIVE has it on good authority that the NWC has endorsed recommendations of the report to dissolve the PEC and for a Provincial Task Team be formed. The final decision will‚ however‚ be made by the NEC.

“Because of the internal processes of the ANC‚ the report must still be before the NEC. In terms of the Constitutional Court matter‚ we are aware of that. We will be going to the Eastern Cape to engage members of the ANC.

“It was a court decision that with the Eastern Cape matter internal ANC processes must be finalized. The Sbu Ndebele report is part of that internal process. That panel was decided by the NEC therefore the report must go to the NEC‚” he said.

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