THE African National Congress's succession train is picking up full steam as party structures across the country held meetings to elect regional leaders.

Most significantly, the ANC Youth League is touting Sports and Recreation Minister Fikile Mbalula, who is its former president, as its preferred candidate for the ANC secretary-general position which is currently held by Gwede Mantashe.

Mbalula, speaking in Tsolo near Mthatha at the weekend, said calling for the mines to be nationalised was not a crime.

In Kimberley, Northern Cape, suspended youth league leader Julius Malema warned: "Never be ahead of the masses."

He was criticising ANC leaders "who have become arrogant on power", adding that the party's elective conference in Mangaung in December could become "another Polokwane", which had led to the recall of former ANC and the country's president, Thabo Mbeki.

Meanwhile, the ANC has decided that open campaigning for the top positions would only happen in October.

Despite this, Zuma's re-election chances have received a setback as it has become apparent that his deputy Kgalema Motlanthe intends to compete against him for the presidency of the ANC.

Weekend reports suggest that while Motlanthe, who carries the support of the ANCYL, will wait until October when nominations for leadership posts open, he and his supporters have signalled his intentions to unseat Zuma in December.

The Sunday Times quoted an anonymous Motlanthe aide as saying: "He will accept nomination even if he is nominated by two (of the nine) provinces."

However, in KwaZulu-Natal, Zuma received a boost when the province's 103-branch eThekwini region elected Dr Sbongiseni Dhlomo, a close ally of provincial leader Zweli Mkhize.

Mkhize, who now appears to be the frontrunner to retain the KwaZulu-Natal chairmanship, is said to have the backing of nine out of 11 regions in the province.

Last week, his allies took control of the Moses Mabhida region (Pietermaritzburg).

The Lower South Coast (Port Shepstone) and the North Coast (which includes Richards Bay) regions are however believed to be opposed to his re-election.

While Zuma is considered to hold considerable sway in the Eastern Cape, two regions in the province have already been won by anti-Zuma candidates.

In February, Sandile Sello was elected chairman of the Alfred Nzo region while former Buffalo City mayor Zukiswa Faku won the greater East London region.

Other Eastern Cape regions - Amathole and OR Tambo - will hold their elections at the end of the month while the rest will be held in May.

At the weekend, National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa leader Irvin Jim said they were not backing down on their campaign to have their members swelling the ANC ranks.

"When we say our members must swell the ranks in the ANC, we are not asking permission from anyone.

"We have even engaged and told President [Jacob] Zuma that we want to see NUMSA members dominating ANC ranks, from branches to senior level.

"The working class must impose its hegemony to the state and Zuma fully agrees [with that]," he said.

- Additional reporting by Sikho Ntshobane, May Bongwe Maqhina and Sapa

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Sat May 18 11:38:29 SAST 2013 ::

Mar 19, 2012

Sandile84

I wonder what happened to SANCO (South African National Civics Organization), they should be as powerful as COSATU. They should be very influential and should be making headlines but they are nowhere to be seen.
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Mar 19, 2012

Sinudeity

Hehehe, and julius is still electioneering for his political career.

As for motlanthe, before jacob got elected, I said that he should be president. Alas, the masses of ANC voters love a good martyr.
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Mar 19, 2012

Ndese1

The 1st person in the ANC who said the reserve bank must be nationalize was Mantashe. Malema took this idea and make it his just to gain credit. Malema must go, period.
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Mar 19, 2012

Pointman

Looks like Zuma's support is melting away even more that Mbeki's did. However Zuma is a proven survivor. However the ANC is not producing leaders who can deliver and lead with vision. All they are producing is populists and self interested jockeys.
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Mar 19, 2012

MommaC

Enough of this 'recalling' of presidents already. Geez, it makes us look like a bunch of fools who cannot make up our minds. The ANC gave us Zuma, they need to stick with that decision until the next general elections. It isn't doing our country any good to have caretaker presidents every 4 years. It all stinks of panic politics with no thought or reason behind it

Motlanthe is okay but I am not convinced he is strong enough to handle the position and that Iran scandal is not helping his cause. Fikile is doing well but he hasn't really had a chance to prove himself yet. I'd prefer to see him have a few more years of handling a portfolio before he is press-ganged into a position that he may not yet be ready for
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Mar 19, 2012

WarrenG

As an ANC leader (of sorts) Julius has probably been THE MOST arrogant on power in the history of the party. If you take his utterances over the last years, no ANC leader in any form has spoken with such arrogance and thought their speech would go unpunished. He's thought he can say what he wants when he wants even against his president and mother body with 0 consequence due to his ego and arrogance.
Hypocrite and wanker.
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Mar 19, 2012

Sinudeity

WarrenG - Just imagine his arrogance should he become 'president'. Dont think SA would be big enough for his head.
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Mar 19, 2012

Sphalaphala

My list of prefferable Presidency candidate is 1. Nkosazana Zuma
2.Kgalema Mothlanthe
3.Jeff Hadebe
4. Fikile Mbalula after whoever will be the President
after 2014. the rest is goomless for me except for
Cyril Ramaphosa.











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Mar 19, 2012

Cypher

And then when all this ramblings and backstabbings are the order of the day, what happens to the promises they did to the SA citizens prior to election, do they put them aside, do they suspend them, will they feature on their next list of promises, yaaa ne
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Mar 19, 2012

Sinudeity

Cypher - Promises before elections are merely that.
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