President Cyril Ramaphosa has scraped through to win his second term as president of the ANC, after a tense night in which his chief rival Zweli Mkhize appeared to have turned it into a neck and neck competition.
Although Ramaphosa went to the ANC’s 55th national conference with 70% support from the party’s 3,900 branches, the final result showed a much closer contest with the former health minister.
Mkhize won 1,897 votes compared to Ramaphosa’s 2,487 votes. His defeat meant that KwaZulu-Natal, the strongest ANC region under former president Jacob Zuma, has no representation in the ANC’s top seven.
Former Gauteng Premier Paul Mashatile returned to Luthuli House as the deputy president, after Ramaphosa loyalists Ronald Lamola and Oscar Mabuyene split the Ramaphosa slate.
Premier Panyaza Lesufi, who leads the Gauteng lobby which supported Ramaphosa, said Gauteng would not compromise in their support for Mashatile as deputy president.
Mashatile is credited with running Luthuli House almost single handedly for half of Ramaphosa’s first term.
The leader of the so-called Alex Mafia was treasurer-general, and acting secretary general after Ace Magashule was forced to step aside. He worked as the acting deputy secretary after Jessie Duarte’s death.
Ramaphosa’s bulldog Gwede Mantashe was retained as national chairperson.
The Minister of Energy Gwede Mantashe, returned as national chairperson, after he won the hearts of the conference when he protected the president from KwaZulu-Natal delegates who heckled him as he delivered his opening address on Friday evening.
Mantashe called security into the main plenary to stop the supporters of the former president Jacob Zuma from disrupting the speech.
Fikile Mbalula, who was elected secretary general, played a major role in fighting off the RET forces who were cutting into Ramaphosa’s support with every delay in the conference programme.
At some point, Mbalula conducted a head count of the Ramaphosa support and begged delegates not to panic.
“There is no need to panic. The numbers are still on our side. We gave the numbers. Let’s maintain discipline,” he said.
Here are the final results of the ANC top seven:
1. President: Cyril Ramaphosa
2. Deputy president: Paul Mashatile
3. Chairperson: Gwede Mantashe
4. Secretary general: Fikile Mbalula
5. 1st deputy secretary: Nomvula Mokonyane
6. 2nd deputy secretary: Maropene Ramokgopa
7. Treasurer general: Gwen Ramokgopa