Simon Nare
ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji looks poised to be re-elected unopposed after the Electoral Committee on Sunday evening revealed the nominations that have gathered enough support from branch nominations.
The league’s 27th elective conference started on Sunday evening at the University of Limpopo Turfloop campus, outside Polokwane.
The nominations, released by the committee chairman Andrew Dipela, showed that Malatji received nominations from 2806 branches across the country.
Other candidates who crossed the threshold from the branches were: For deputy president, Francisco Dyantyi; for secretary general, Tsakani Shiviti; for first deputy secretary, Zama Khanyase; for second deputy secretary, Venus Blennies-Magage; and for treasurer general, Jacob Tau.
Dipela emphasised that when branch nominations produce no contest, it should not be interpreted as someone being elected unopposed.
“We are still going to have another process where will have nominations from the floor. And if those nominations get enough support from the floor, then they will make it to the ballot,” said Dipela.
He said that as part of the process, the committee had to collate all the nominations from the branches.
If Malatji emerges victorious, it could cap a good weekend for ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula, with speculation that Malatji is likely to endorse him publicly for Mbalula’s bid for future ANC president.
On Saturday, Mbalula’s allies at the ANC Tshwane regional conference were re-elected unopposed. Eugene Modise got the nod for chairman, while George Matjila was re-elected as regional secretary.
The victory by Mbalula’s allies in Tshwane made up for the defeat at the Johannesburg region conference. There, Mbalula-aligned incumbent Dada Morero lost the chairperson role to Loyiso Masuku, seen as backed by the faction of deputy president Paul Mashatile.
Mbalula and Mashatile are widely considered to be positioning themselves to take over as ANC president when Cyril Ramaphosa’s term ends at the 2027 national elective conference.
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