Ruling party leadership to deal with outstanding conference items, including reports from commissions in the first week of January next year. Newly elected ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula. Picture: Timothy Bernard/African News Agency (ANA).
The delayed national elective conference of the ANC ended without concluding all of its business with the party postponing the announcement of additional national executive committee (NEC) members and the outcome of commission reports.
Instead, newly elected secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said that the conference would resume with a hybrid session on January 5, where policy issues would be discussed and the outcomes would be presented the following day.
The announcement of the party’s additional 80 NEC members would be made “today or tomorrow”, he said.
With the conference facing more than a 24-hour delay, exhausted delegates agreed to adjourn it. This was prompted by delays in registration, finalisation of the credentials report and voting procedures, Mbalula said.
“Due to these delays it was not possible to adopt the commission reports although policy issues had been discussed,” said Mbalula.
“Commission reports and draft resolutions will be circulated to delegates. Voting today (for additional NEC members) will continue until it has been concluded.”
Former KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli, who had been nominated for the secretary-general position, said he and presidential candidate Zweli Mkhize had, before the results were announced, reflected on what needed to be done in the party. Their engagement, he said, was a reflection on the journey they had travelled from the time their names were raised for leadership positions.
“The two of us said whether we succeed in the Top Six or not, we still have a much bigger role to play to ensure that the leadership of the ANC in KZN is fully supported by the two of us.
“KZN, Gauteng and other provinces with larger support bases are very strategic for the evolution of our country and for the success of the national democratic revolution.
“We were exchanging notes around that and evaluating weaknesses ahead of the conference and how the two of us can respond in a manner that will strengthen the current leadership of the province with regards to the task at hand.”
Ntuli said the fact that KZN did not have a representative in the Top 7 was not an indictment on the province.
“We can’t characterise it as an indictment, it is always an advantage to have a senior leader from KZN because we have the biggest population in the country in terms of membership and support base.
“One of the central tasks for this leadership to take with absolute commitment is to consolidate the unity and cohesion of the party so all structures throughout the country have a central direction and all of us are implementing the resolutions of the party,” said Ntuli.