Bathabile Dlamini says her humiliating defeat at the ANC Women's League conference at the weekend reflects the decision of women in the party.
Dlamini received a drubbing from Sisisi Tolashe at the conference after only 170 of about 3,000 delegates voted her.
Incoming president Tolashe garnered 1,756 votes, while Thembeka Mchunu got 1,038.
“It’s the choice of women, for me that's it,” Dlamini said when asked about her 170 votes.
She had hoped to make it in the national executive committee (NEC) of the women's league, but the list released on Tuesday shows she was rejected there as well. Mchunu made the cut.
Dlamini had said at the time that should she be rejected, she would go back to the branch level.
“I can’t stand for the position of president and then say I’m no longer interested. I’m still prepared to serve women. Even if I don’t get elected in the NEC, I will continue working with women. I will continue in my branch,” she said at the weekend.
Dlamini conceded defeat, telling TimesLIVE Premium on the sidelines of the conference that she would rally behind the elected leadership led by Tolashe.
The women's league top structure includes Lungi Gcabashe as deputy president, Nokuthula Nqaba as secretary-general, Dina Pula as deputy secretary-general and Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae as treasurer-general.
“First, women have spoken. Two, it’s important for us to congratulate elected leadership and pledge our support that we are working with them going forward. What is important is the struggle for women’s emancipation, not us as individuals, because we also wanted to contribute to women’s emancipation and gender equality. So the elected leadership is also committed to that struggle,” said Dlamini.
I did not join for positions but joined for the advancement of the struggle and liberation of the people of South Africa and the emancipation of women
— Bathabile Dlamini
She said her loss does not amount to political wilderness as she was already serving in the ANC's NEC, having been elected in December.
“My own political career ... I still serve in the national executive of the ANC, I play a role there and here in the women’s league. I’m going to serve branches if I don’t get elected, so it’s going to be political work because I did not join for positions but joined for the advancement of the struggle and liberation of the people of South Africa and the emancipation of women,” she said.
Dlamini also confirmed, as previously reported by TimesLIVE Premium, that she had been in negotiations with the grouping led by Mchunu for her to abandon her campaign for president.
The grouping, which broke away from the Tolashe slate, had courted Dlamini to rally behind Mchunu's campaign, promising to back her for the chairperson position in return.
Though Dlamini had agreed to the proposal, the negotiations were, however, proven to be three months late.
“That is true. The negotiations went well, but because of the prescripts in the constitution, we could not continue with them. We ended up agreeing that we should drop that,” said Dlamini, who detailed how they did not have time to fulfil all the requirements before the conference.
“But also, the reason I agreed to the proposal of standing for the position of chairperson is because at some stage one has to take a decision and understand that positions are not attached to us, they are a responsibility, and if women leading you suggest that let's move towards this position because you don't choose for yourself, you move towards what they are saying.”
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