'No need to fight over top job'

The ANC's upcoming national congress will not be like the ruling party's last elective conference, in Polokwane, says ANC KwaZulu-Natal chairman Zweli Mkhize.

Writing in the party's online newsletter, ANC Today, Mkhize says there is no need for a leadership battle in Mangaung as today's conditions are different from those of 2007. He says a lot of lessons were learned in Polokwane and no one in his province wanted a repeat of the leadership battle that tore the party apart, resulting in the formation of the Congress of the People.

"There must be no blood on the floor and the integrity of the ANC must be preserved," he writes.

Mkhize's call for a contest-free conference does not come as a surprise - he is at the forefront of President Jacob Zuma's re-election campaign. It could also be a veiled message to deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe not to accept nomination to stand for the party presidency.

Motlanthe has been nominated by the ANC provincial leadership structures of Limpopo and Gauteng, and the ANC Youth League.

Mkhize speaks of his province's support for Zuma's re-election, saying that, unlike in the case of Thabo Mbeki, who in 2007 sought a third term, "President Zuma has served one term and therefore is within an acceptable time frame in office".

In a clear campaign message, Mkhize then highlights ANC achievements under Zuma's leadership, including membership growth, improved relations with tripartite alliance partners and the creation of the National Development Plan by the government.

"No leadership collective can preside over a term of office that will not attract both successes and failures or praise and criticism with equal measure," he writes.