ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula says the party will kick-start its local government elections campaign in July.
Image: Independent Media Archives
In preparation for the upcoming local government elections, the ANC will announce its mayoral candidates for various municipalities, including metros, next month, said ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula in Johannesburg on Friday.
Mbalula was addressing the media at the party's head office, Luthuli House, about the decisions taken by the special meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) this week.
He said the ANC leadership was currently crisscrossing the country, selecting candidates “left, right, and centre”.
He said the candidates will be known by June and the campaigns will be launched in July.
“The shortlisting is coming to an end now, as we are interviewing mayoral candidates for the metros and secondary cities.
“That process will begin where the top seven (national leaders) will interview (shortlisted candidates) and announce our candidates by June. Even the mayoral candidates will be interviewed and shortlisted by the officials.”
He said the ANC had already started to prepare for the elections across the country.
Mbalula explained that in the search for suitable mayoral candidates, the ANC has approached various communities to suggest appropriate candidates.
“For us, if you are a citizen of this country and you are ready to serve the people and you are capable, you will be considered for the mayoral position by the ANC.
“We are doing the same thing with councillors because if you want to serve the people of South Africa and people want you, if you have capabilities, you will serve because the ANC has always been doing that.”
He said it has been the ANC’s culture to select candidates through community participation.
He hoped that President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is currently having the Phala Phala dark cloud hanging over his head, would lead the ANC’s local government election campaigns.
He described the November 4 elections as coming at a difficult time for the ANC due to the Constitutional Court ruling that led to opposition parties calling for Ramaphosa, who is facing the prospect of appearing before Parliament’s Impeachment Committee, to step down.
“It is going to be a tough campaign, but we believe our president is ready to lead that campaign for the ANC. We are confident of victory because we have done very well this past week in the by-election. We won the by-election in the Northern Cape and increased our numbers.”
He said the party’s campaign will focus mainly on its strongholds, but will not neglect areas where opponents are stronger.
Mbalula also announced that the party would form provincial task teams in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng provinces to replace elected provincial executive committees (PECs), whose term of office has expired.
“This is the normal course of business of our movement in such circumstances. The governments of these provinces are not affected by these organisational matters of the movement; the work of the State continues.
“The National Working Committee will, on Monday, consider the compositions of the two provincial task teams.”
He said the party’s elective conference in Mangaung, Free State, was ready to take place, but “it is just the mismanagement of the conference”.
It has been reported that this regional conference was nullified early this month due to voting irregularities, and the NEC and Free State PEC were expected to decide when it will be reconvened.
“It is ready, and it should be concluded, but even if it is not concluded now, it will have to take place after the elections.”
He said the West Rand regional conference will take place next week, and the party is dealing with delegation processes.
bongani.hans@inl.co.za