SABC News spoke to African National Congress (ANC) delegates ahead of voting for the party’s Top 7 positions, which is under way at the National Congress at Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg.
Nkosinathi Gumbu from Mzala Nxumalo Region in KwaZulu-Natal says they are going to vote for Mkhize for the position of ANC President.
“With comrade Zweli, we believe in what he is going to do, he is going to deal with the crisis that is facing South Africa. One of those crises is the issue of electricity, the other is the issue of unemployment, the issue of the increase of our workers in South Africa. What we want from comrade Khabazela is to take ANC to its origin.”
Zenzo Mbeko from Nkangala Region in Mpumalanga says they are voting for Mkhize because they believe it’s time for change.
“It’s time that we bring the ANC back to its owners and the people so that they can understand and love the ANC. It’s time that the ANC gets its power.”
Lunga Minyawo from Ward 54 Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape says, “We are voting for Ramaphosa for a second term, Oscar Mabuyani for deputy. That is the resolution of Branch 54 and the resolution of the province of the Eastern Cape.”
Another delegate from Emakhazeni Sub-Region say they are going to vote for Ramaphosa for a second term.
Congress of South African Students (COSAS) Spokesperson Douglas Ngobeni says they have not pronounced anyone as president because the two candidates are making a spectacle of the organisation.
Ngobeni says, “There was no one that came to us and engaged us to support them, we have not pronounced the position of president. We don’t have a president in who becomes president.”
“Part of the most fundamental issues is the issue of unemployment and we have seen that first and foremost, the best way to address unemployment in South Africa is to take this huge number of old people in the NEC of the ANC to go out and bring a new crop of young people because we have a problem in South Africa where young people are unemployed. We have very old people occupying, senior persons for poor government, so the only time we will be able to realise a time and a moment where young people finally get into spaces of employment is when the African National Congress as a leader of society elects younger people,” he adds.
VIDEO: ANC delegates divided on presidential candidate #ANCelectiveconference #ANC55 #ANCNC55 #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/dMamtkQeHo
— lebotshangela (@lebotshangela) December 18, 2022
