In a surprise turn of events, Mzwandile Masina has pulled out of the treasurer-general race at the 11th hour, to support Pule Mabe for the position.

Masina made the announcement alongside Mabe at Nasrec on Sunday.

Masina said the ANC lobbying doesn't stop until the last minute and that they had been engaging the ANC Gauteng leaders as well as other provinces.

"We've agreed we should support comrade Pule as the T-G and we demobilised because we all had fully fledged campaigns going in the structures of the organisation so we've agreed to give him support.

"Unfortunately, at the time we'd agreed... the ballot was printed, and some people had already voted but we've demobilised so that we don't split the vote," Masina said.

Masina received 348 branch nominations compared to Mabe's 428 nominations. Bejani Chauke led T-G nominations after receiving 552 nominations.

On Sunday, the ANC's Gwen Ramokgopa, who was seconded to the office of secretary-general, was nominated from the floor and met the threshold.

With Masina out, the race is between Mabe, Chauke and Ramakgopa.

"We are going to have a lot of roles in the African National Congress beyond the office of the treasurer-general and he [Mabe] said to me, when he emerges, he'll invite me to his office to share some of the ideas in terms of what needs to happen in the ANC so that it's not a destitute organisation, as it were," Masina said.

Mabe said the intended objective between himself and Masina was common.

"Comrade Zwai [Masina] and I, our mission is the same and what we want to see in the ANC is common... the kind of desired leadership we want. 

"The very unity we talk about must be seen through ourselves and the first option was it wouldn't be ideal for us to contest for the same position together.

"We won't allow for others to think they can emerge out of what they think are divisions. There are no divisions. We're very united and what we want is common and what we want will emerge out of this conference," Mabe said.