PHUTI MOSOMANE
RESULTS of the ANC’s top seven officials are expected to be announced early on Monday morning, party leaders told reporters on Sunday night.
Earlier, the party officials were hopeful that the election results would be announced by midnight on Sunday but voting slowly continued well after midnight.
Elections results are now likely to be released to the public around 9am or shortly thereafter at plenary.
The nominations for the ANC’s top seven officials were concluded in the early hours of Sunday.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and former Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize were announced as the nominees for the position of party president.
ANC NEC member and Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, Eastern Cape Premier and ANC provincial chair Oscar Mabuyane and ANC treasurer general and acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile are vying for the deputy president position.
Shortly after lunch on Sunday, delegates started voting according to provinces, starting with Free State, and followed by the Eastern Cape.
There are at least 4 436 voting delegates whose credentials were approved.
Late last night, delegates from the Free State, Western Cape, Gauteng, Northern Cape, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal were still voting.
As the voting continued, some provincial chairpersons were seen lobbying their delegates to vote for their preferred candidates.
Ramaphosa’s lobbyists gathered outside the conference venue where delegates were given final marching orders of voting.
There were concerns about Ramaphosa’s waning support after certain leaders from provinces such as Gauteng, North West and Limpopo announced that are dropping the incumbent president in favour of Mkhize.
Asked to comment on allegations that money was being used to influence delegates to vote for certain leaders and factions, Mabe said proof of vote-buying for top positions at the ANC National Conference needed to be provided before such allegations can be made.
“There was an initial plan to stagger the voting process over three days (voting for different positions every day, instead of one day),” he added.
Mabe said because of delays the steering committee at the conference will now have to decide on whether to cut out some of the policy discussions, or to add another full day to the program.
“We will then have nominations of additional so when we return (on Monday) to begin with voting of additional members, but we will be guided by the steering committee. We are trying to cover as much ground as possible,” Mabe said, declining to confirm the official number of voting delegates at this stage.
On the emergence of slates at the conference, Mabe said: “The electoral committee has made it possible for people to campaign openly.”
Earlier on Sunday, various organisations sympathetic to the ANC both local and abroad delivered messages of support.
The messages of support followed discussions and adoption of various organisational reports.
The conference is scheduled to wrap up on Tuesday.
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