Bribery, regionalism and factional infighting have come to the fore in the run-up to the Johannesburg ANC’s two-day congress, scheduled to start on Wednesday.
Even party delegates are concerned that the regional leadership contest might not lead to any real change in the city.
Internal disputes have resulted in delays that have prevented the region from convening successfully, sources have said.
A senior regional insider, who did not wish to be named, decried how the conference became an electoral bloodbath when incumbent ANC Johannesburg chair Dada Morero and Loyiso Masuku went head-to-head for the position.
“When the elections [for] the branches started, Loyiso was leading the pack, but [in] time Dada came back and [gained the most] nominations. Now it’s no longer a battle of the branches — it is a battle of delegates. Money has been handed [out] left, right and centre by those with deep pockets … [in a bid] to try and buy … votes,” claimed the source.
“Money is becoming the root of all evil in deciding the fate of this conference. Those who have it will [likely] emerge [victorious], but if the delegates have political character, they will choose those who will save the ANC.”
If you have the interests of Johannesburg and the ANC at heart, you will choose a person who has serious political clout.
— — Anonymous political insider
Apart from bribes to delegates, the regional factor is expected to be highly influential in deciding the outcome of the race.
“There is an allegiance [between] people who are [originally] Joburgers, and [in particular] Sowetans — [those] born and raised here. They feel marginalised by people who have come from other provinces to … settle in Johannesburg. You can see there is sympathy [for people who were born and grew up in Soweto and Johannesburg], [as opposed to] those who [came] to the city to work [here but were] born in other provinces.”
Johannesburg-born Morero is said to be favoured by this trend, while Eastern Cape native Masuku is at a distinct disadvantage.
“Loyiso is [putting up] a good fight, and we would love to have a female chair. The blackmail used by people championing ‘women on top’ doesn’t hold [sway], because the ANC has always had a 50/50 affirmative-action programme,” said the insider.
The regional secretary contest is also set to take place at the congress, with the incumbent Sasabona Manganye, who hails from Limpopo, vying for re-election. Lebogang Tshabalala, who “comes from nowhere” and is a former regional secretary of the ANC Youth League, is reportedly receiving huge support.
“This support largely comes from Soweto, and a lot of Joburgers are following [suit]. You can see there is sympathy for those who are local, as well as a push to support them from those who come from elsewhere.”
Another insider described Morero as “politically astute”, saying he had garnered support despite his shortcomings.
“If you have the political interests of Johannesburg and the ANC at heart, you will want a person who has serious political clout. Currently, the debate in Johannesburg is about building the ANC, so you would want to stand behind a person with political credibility and maturity. [Morero] has his own [drawbacks], but he has the ANC’s interests at heart.”
The source told the Sunday Times that Masuku’s disadvantage was that she had a “chequered political past”.
“We all know what happened with the Covid-19 PPE looting scandal, so there are clouds hanging over her. This conversation is coming from people worried about the state coffers if she gets a hold on the levers of power. And we can’t afford trial and error — we need people who are morally upright and politically grounded.”
Masuku, her husband (former Gauteng health MEC Bandile Masuku) and former presidential spokesperson Khusela Diko (who is allegedly close to the Masukus) all took a leave of absence in 2020 after it was revealed Diko’s husband (Chief Madzikane II, who has since died) was awarded a R125m tender to supply personal protective equipment to the Gauteng department of health.
For the treasurer position, the incumbent Maxwell Nedzamba has been criticised for not having made an impact politically. He is being challenged by Bonolo Ramokhele, a chartered accountant and the former board chair of City Power.
Another interesting contest is for the deputy secretary-general position, where Thuthukile Zuma, daughter of political heavyweights Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Jacob Zuma, is up against Johannesburg economic development MMC Nomoya Mnisi.
A delegate said the conference needed to be clear about the young leaders it wanted to platform.
“Both [Thuthukile Zuma and Nomoya Mnisi] are young black women, and we appreciate that they have availed themselves to be potential officials of the ANC in the region.”
A senior regional insider said the organisation had to go through a “serious recalibration” in order to survive.
Meanwhile, the Tshwane regional conference, which was also scheduled to start today has been postponed to next month.
Coordinator of Gauteng ANC’s Provincial Task Team (PTT) Hope Papo informed regional structures on Friday that the PTT decided to postpone the event after assessing preparations for the regional conferences and for the National General Council (NGC) scheduled to take place on December 8 to 11.
Papo said the decision was taken to also ensure that all appeals which had been lodged with the National Dispute Resolution Committee and National Dispute Resolution Committee of Appeal were concluded.
The ANC Greater Tshwane Regional Conference was set to continue until Tuesday.
It will now sit between December 5 and 14.
Earlier this month, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula gave the region a go-ahead to convene the conference as it met the 70% threshold required to convene an ANC regional conference.
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