WATCH | 'Who said Ramaphosa can't be contested?': Lebogang Maile

Gauteng PEC member Lebogang Maile has defended a decision by a section of his province to rally behind Zweli Mkhize in his bid to oust ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa.

Former health minister Mkhize, who left his job under a cloud over the Digital Vibes corruption scandal last year, has emerged as a strong contender against Ramaphosa at the ANC's 55th national congress under way in Nasrec, south of Johannesburg.

The two are the only ANC top leaders to make it to the ballot after co-operative governance minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma declined nomination from the floor at the conference in the early hours of Sunday.

More than 4,000 delegates are scheduled to vote for a new ANC leadership on Sunday.

Maile spoke to journalists outside the media centre at Nasrec about the disappointment expressed by some delegates that some ANC structures from Gauteng — regarded as a Ramaphosa stronghold — were supporting Mkhize.

The Gauteng ANC is divided on the matter as some of its branches still prefer Ramaphosa for the position.

“It is not strange that president Ramaphosa is being contested, who said he can't be contested?” Maile said.

“President Mbeki was contested, with President Mandela there was an attempt in 1991 by Harry Gwala.

“It's not new in the ANC, so there's nothing wrong. It's not strange, it's not a big thing. There is no crisis that President Ramaphosa is being contested. There's no crisis,” he said.

“It is actually democracy in action. We are a kind of an organisation that when we are here [at conference], we are all equal.”

Gauteng has 465 voting delegates, ranking as the fourth biggest delegation at the conference.

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