WATCH | 'Time for delegates to do the talking,' says Masualle
'Conference is electric; there's determination and I like it'
Image: Thulani Mbele
ANC secretary-general hopeful Phumulo Masualle says the party's national conference has reached its peak and now it's time for delegates to do the talking.
Masualle was speaking as voting got under way in Nasrec, Johannesburg, for the new top seven positions in the party.
"I think we've done enough talking and now is the time for delegates to do the talking," he said.
Masualle is up against former KwaZulu-Natal provincial chair Mdumiseni Ntuli and transport minister Fikile Mbalula for the S-G position.
Following the announcement of the ANC top seven nominations, groups supporting ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa and his opponent Zweli Mkhize broke off into caucuses before dispersing ahead of the vote today.
A confident Masualle, who appears on Mkhize' slate, was one of the last people to leave the plenary.
Asked how he thought his chances would be in the vote, Masualle said he had said all that there was to say and it was now up to delegates.
Masualle was nominated by 889 branches as opposed to Ntuli's 1,225 nominations. Mbalula came in third place with 749 nominations.
"Conference is very much at its peak now and of course conference is an occasion for delegates to express themselves and I think we’ve done the talking and it should be their turn to do the talking.
"Conference is electric; there’s determination and I like it. And I think for the first time we can see ordinary members are expressive, can point to the leadership when they’re unhappy or happy and they can demonstrate that which is a good thing going forward," Masualle said.
During Sunday's early-hour nominations, when Masualle's name was announced, it was met by resounding applause from delegates.
Though he is from the Eastern Cape, the majority of Masualle's nominations came from KwaZulu-Natal followed by Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
During the caucus, led by KZN provincial chairperson Sboniso Duma, a clearer picture emerged of who was aligned with whom ahead of the vote.
Present at the caucus was KZN, Gauteng, Limpopo, North West and some delegates from the Eastern Cape.
As voting got under way, President Cyril Ramaphosa was one of the early voters from the ANC leadership.