By Jason Felix.
The ANC’s electoral committee chairperson, Kgalema Motlanthe, says Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu’s assertion that she qualifies to be in the top three nominees running for party president is “puzzling and preposterous”.
In response to Sisulu’s earlier letter, Motlanthe clarified that her name had not been proposed because she had not received the highest number of nominations in any of the nine provinces, or three ANC leagues.
The ANC Women’s, Youth and Veterans Leagues are treated as provinces at the conference.
Motlanthe added that the 25% threshold Sisulu alluded to provides for nominations from delegates at the conference.
“According to the official and verified records in possession of the electoral committee, you received a total of 66 nominations. You would have noted that two other, unsuccessful, nominees received more branch general meeting nominations than you did. In light of this, your contention that you qualify to be amongst the top three nominees for the position of president is somewhat puzzling and preposterous,” he said.
He said Sisulu had prematurely invoked the 25% threshold of support by claiming her candidacy had been disadvantaged.
According to Motlanthe, the 25% threshold was only applicable at the national conference itself.
Regarding this matter, the ANC constitution reads:
“A delegate to the conference shall, however, have the right to nominate any person whose name has not been proposed in terms of Rule 12.7.1 above. In such event the presiding officer shall call for seconders of the nomination, if such nomination is seconded by a minimum of 25% of Conference delegates, then such a nomination shall be regarded as having been duly nominated, in which event the name of such nominee shall be placed on the ballot paper.”
“Based on the aforementioned rules within the ANC constitution, it is clear that you are prematurely invoking the 25% threshold, which is only applicable at the national conference itself,” Motlanthe said.
Sisulu’s main bone of contention is that she met the 25% threshold of support she required for nomination, but that her name was excluded.
According to Sisulu, who launched a campaign to run against President Cyril Ramaphosa, her team filed all their nominations from branch general meetings across the country, with the suspicion that they could be lost in the pipeline.
But Motlanthe said, based on the totality of nominations received by the electoral committee, “an analysis of the few outstanding disputes leads inexorably to the conclusion that these disputes would not make any material difference, whatsoever, to the outcome of the nomination”.
“We note that, in submitting your notice of dispute, you have not furnished the electoral committee, as would reasonably be expected, with any details whatsoever regarding the branch general meetings outcomes which, allegedly, are not captured to your satisfaction. Failure to provide any evidence of the purported inconsistency between the data received and verified by the electoral committee and figures purportedly in your personal possession is unhelpful,” Motlanthe said.
As far as nominations of candidates for the positions of president and deputy secretary-general, only two candidates had been nominated by provinces or leagues, he said.
“Accordingly, the electoral committee could not arbitrarily include a third nominee, as this would contravene rule 1.3 [of the ANC constitution] which does not mandate the committee to elect or select leaders.”
Motlanthe added that the committee had at all times followed and complied with the rules for nomination and election of the national executive committee (NEC).
“Any insinuations to the contrary are not consistent with the facts, nor a proper interpretation of the ANC constitution and relevant rules and procedures adopted by the NEC,” he said.