The move by the women’s of the African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s ruling party, to back outgoing African Union (AU) Commission chairperson Nkosazan Dlamini-Zuma, to be the next ANC leader has been described by the party spokesperson as “premature and divisive”.
The ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) had announced on the eve of the party’s 105th birthday celebrations on Sunday that it would back Dlamini-Zuma, the former wife of ANC and South African President Jacob Zuma as its presidential candidate when the party holds its next election.
ANC Spokesperson Zizi Kodwa labelled the move premature, divisive and in defiance of the ANC National Executive Committee.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), the country’s largest labour federation and a partner of the ANC in the Tripartite Alliance, along with the South African Communist Party, had earlier endorsed South African and ANC Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to take over the reins.
Kodwa said here Monday: We take it very seriously because we are doing everything and investing every effort we have to make sure that we enforce unity in our organization.
“We have come to appreciate that the ANC that is united is in a much better position to provide leadership to society than the ANC that is divided. There are certain things we said that must not be done, both by members and structures of the ANC.
“At the moment the ANC structures are discussing a set of principles which must guide us on what kind of leadership must be elected, not names. So, therefore it is premature when already there are names that are being thrown.
Kodwa added that the ANC was working to build unity within the party. We are working very hard around the clock to make sure that we build unity of the ANC. We cant allow structures of the ANC to continue to divide the ANC.
“Even if they do so, those whom they nominate themselves, they must be principled enough to say as Cyril Ramaphosa said ‘not in my name’. Because even if you accept nominations later, it’s not possible that you can do so prematurely in a manner that undermines the efforts of bringing unity in the ANC.
Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK