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'This is rubbish': Jessie Duarte on slate putting her forward as SG at ANC 2022 elective conference

ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte.
ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte.
Image: Daylin Paul

ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte has dismissed a recently released 2022 elective slate putting her forward as secretary-general as “rubbish”.

The slate, by a grouping calling itself the “radical economic transformation” (RET), comes ahead of the ANC’s midterm review conference, the national general council (NGC), and seeks to replace the current leadership.

It also comes two years before the 55th elective conference expected to be held in 2022.

The RET slate puts forward current secretary-general Ace Magashule as president, former president Jacob Zuma’s son Duduzane as deputy president and former North West premier Supra Mahumapelo as national chairperson.

Tony Yengeni also appears on the slate as treasurer-general.

“This is rubbish,” Duarte said. “I am not willing to dignify this with any interviews.

“Stop proving, only the branches of the ANC has a right to choose. Slates of any kind serve only to sow divisions.”

Magashule also distanced himself from the slate through a statement released by the ANC on Saturday morning. ANC spokesperson Dakota Legoete said everyone appearing on the slate had distanced themselves especially Duarte and Magashule.

“This can only be the work of wedge-drivers who derive pleasure from seeing a divided ANC,” Legoete said.

He said Duarte and Magashule “have cautioned divisive elements both within and outside the ANC to refrain from using names of ANC leaders in their factional and divisive agenda”.

Though the NGC is not an elective conference and only deals with policy, the slate suggests that current ANC leaders, Cyril Ramaphosa, his deputy David Mabuza and national chair Gwede Mantashe will come under fire at the usually heated council.

The slate also seems to show that the contest ahead of the 2022 elective conference could start early.

“It is worth noting that the process towards the 2022 national conference has not even started,” Dakota said. “Accordingly, branches and other structures of the ANC have not even had the opportunity to discuss preparations for 2022.”

He said this slate was an “alien tendency” which had to be “nipped in the bud”.

TimesLIVE

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