The country remains on tenterhooks as ANC delegates voted late into the night for the party’s top seven with a fierce campaign battle between Cyril Ramaphosa and Zweli Mkhize for the position of president of the party.
More than 4,000 delegates at the conference should know on Monday whether Cyril Ramaphosa will lead the party for another five years or whether the change that many are calling for will result in the reins being handed to former health minister, Zweli Mkhize.
Gauteng was the last province to cast their votes late into Sunday night for the top seven leadership.
Policy discussions appear to be taking a backseat to the leadership race, as behind-the-scenes lobbying distracted delegates from closed-door commissions.
Provinces flip-flopped on Sunday on who they would support to lead the party, with fierce trade-offs being made for the deputy presidency between Paul Mashatile and Oscar Mabuyane, leaving Ronald Lamola out of the race.
The ANC’s new top leadership is expected to be seized with addressing the governing party’s dwindling membership which has plummeted in at least eight provinces.
With the countdown to the crowning of the new ANC president close to being delivered, another problem emerged.
Former President Jacob Zuma instituted a private prosecution in the Johannesburg High Court, for which, Ramaphosa is due to appear in court in January.
Ramaphosa rejected this private prosecution by the former president and gave Zuma until Monday to withdraw or face legal action.
ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe has warned that the use of money in the governing party’s internal leadership elections will affect the quality of its leadership.
The mineral resources and energy minister called for the ANC and its tripartite alliance partners to have an honest discussion about the quality of leaders they elect for various structures.
Source: ENCA, Eyewitness News, IOL, image from Twitter: @NkosinathiShazi