THE largest provincial branch of the Black Management Forum has thrown the name of Shell SA chairman Bonang Mohale in the hat to replace its president Jimmy Manyi next month.

Manyi's reign, which lasted six years, ends early next month because the BMF's constitution does not allow people to serve more than two terms.

Four BMF members, who wished to remain anonymous because of an agreement that the nomination process should not be publicised, confirmed that the Gauteng branch on Monday nominated the charismatic Mohale to face off against the BMF's deputy president Tembakazi Mnyaka.

Three of them added that Western Cape had nominated Mohale and Eastern Cape had selected Mnyaka.

Mnyaka is the chairperson of South African Road Agency Limited.

When contacted for comment, Mohale said he would not entertain the nomination because his hands were full.

"I will not have enough time to serve as the BMF president because I want to focus on fracking," said Mohale, who in 2009 had at the eleventh hour backed out of the forum's elections to challenge Manyi.

Mnyaka declined to comment.

"I don't want to discuss issues relating to the election congress because there are processes currently taking place," she said.

Should Mohale run and emerge victorious, the winds of change would most probably sweep through the BMF as Gauteng, enjoying 50% of the forum's overall membership, has also nominated Koko Khumalo, a partner at professional services firm Ernst and Young, to deputise him.

A senior member from Gauteng said an assessment conducted found there had been a leadership vacuum on matters relating to transformation.

"For instance, transformation and empowerment are being challenged by Solidarity and AfriForum and the BMF has not been very vocal," he said.

"We must change and reposition the role the BMF plays on socio-economic issues. The BMF must start making the society more conscious on what we want achieved through transformation. We have not done well on that front as an organisation," he said.

The source said the Gauteng BMF "engaged Mohale extensively before the nomination".

"He probably did not want to confirm the nomination because he was uncomfortable commenting in the media," he said.