Former ANC KwaZulu-Natal chair Sihle Zikalala has made a dramatic political comeback, topping branch nominations for the party’s national executive committee (NEC) additional positions.
Despite being left out in the cold after the ANC KZN provincial conference, Zikalala has emerged as favourite for branches nationwide for the NEC, receiving 1,447 votes.
Zikalala was defeated by Sboniso Duma for the provincial chair position in July.
Things went from bad to worse when Zikalala could not make it to the provincial executive committee (PEC).
He resigned as premier but was included in the provincial executive.
Since then, the former ANCYL secretary-general went to ground in ANC politics, only to rise to the top of the 200-member NEC list.
Zikalala now stands tall as the biggest winner after branches pushed him for the party’s highest decision-making structure between conferences as it prepares to elect new national leaders at the conference in Nasrec.
The big winners who made the top 10 include controversial characters, chief among them erstwhile ANCYL deputy president Andile Lungisa.
This week the Eastern Cape ANC PEC announced Lungisa “remains suspended” as a party member after a decision of the ANC national disciplinary committee of appeals.
But Lungisa appears to be popular with branches and is in 10th place with nominations by 1,013 branches.
Former ANCYL president Malusi Gigaba, despite his Gupta shenanigans exposed at the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture, emerged second-most popular on the list.
Gigaba got the greenlight to return to the NEC from 1,366 ANC branches.
The relatively quiet Thoko Didiza has also made the top 10, receiving 1,104 votes at position nine.
David Masondo, Fikile Mbalula and Ronald Lamola were also popular top 10 NEC candidates despite receiving top six nominations.
They received 1,195, 1,192 and 1,140 branch nominations respectively for the NEC.
Theirs is a double win for Masondo, Mbalula and Lamola, who will also contest the positions of national chairperson, secretary-general and deputy president.
Last week they were named by the electoral committee as having received enough votes to make it onto the ballot for top six positions.
Mduduzi Manana, who heads the ANC’s national disputes resolutions committee, minister of small business development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams and former Gauteng premier David Makhura complete the top 10 NEC nominations.
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Zikalala has the last laugh as ANC branches carry him to the summit of NEC nominations
The ex-KZN premier leads the 200-member list after being thrown into the wilderness by his provincial detractors
Image: Sandile Ndlovu
Former ANC KwaZulu-Natal chair Sihle Zikalala has made a dramatic political comeback, topping branch nominations for the party’s national executive committee (NEC) additional positions.
Despite being left out in the cold after the ANC KZN provincial conference, Zikalala has emerged as favourite for branches nationwide for the NEC, receiving 1,447 votes.
Zikalala was defeated by Sboniso Duma for the provincial chair position in July.
Things went from bad to worse when Zikalala could not make it to the provincial executive committee (PEC).
He resigned as premier but was included in the provincial executive.
Since then, the former ANCYL secretary-general went to ground in ANC politics, only to rise to the top of the 200-member NEC list.
Zikalala now stands tall as the biggest winner after branches pushed him for the party’s highest decision-making structure between conferences as it prepares to elect new national leaders at the conference in Nasrec.
The big winners who made the top 10 include controversial characters, chief among them erstwhile ANCYL deputy president Andile Lungisa.
This week the Eastern Cape ANC PEC announced Lungisa “remains suspended” as a party member after a decision of the ANC national disciplinary committee of appeals.
But Lungisa appears to be popular with branches and is in 10th place with nominations by 1,013 branches.
Former ANCYL president Malusi Gigaba, despite his Gupta shenanigans exposed at the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture, emerged second-most popular on the list.
Gigaba got the greenlight to return to the NEC from 1,366 ANC branches.
The relatively quiet Thoko Didiza has also made the top 10, receiving 1,104 votes at position nine.
David Masondo, Fikile Mbalula and Ronald Lamola were also popular top 10 NEC candidates despite receiving top six nominations.
They received 1,195, 1,192 and 1,140 branch nominations respectively for the NEC.
Theirs is a double win for Masondo, Mbalula and Lamola, who will also contest the positions of national chairperson, secretary-general and deputy president.
Last week they were named by the electoral committee as having received enough votes to make it onto the ballot for top six positions.
Mduduzi Manana, who heads the ANC’s national disputes resolutions committee, minister of small business development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams and former Gauteng premier David Makhura complete the top 10 NEC nominations.
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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