Lobbying for control of Florence Matomela House is in full swing with a week to go before the ANC’s scheduled regional conference in Nelson Mandela Bay and regional task team chair Babalwa Lobishe looks to be inches ahead in the race for the top job.
The party still needs to meet a 70% threshold to hold the conference, with 41 of its 60 branches now in good standing — just one short of the 42 required to qualify.
The elective conference is expected to be hotly contested, particularly for the chair position, which will give the winner significant influence over the running of City Hall.
It is scheduled to take place next weekend.
Lobishe, elected regional chair in 2021, faces stiff competition from former ally-turned-rival Luyolo Nqakula, who was elected secretary with her.
She is also the mayor of the city.
Other contenders for the position of chair are former ANC Youth Leader and seasoned administrator Sabelo Nkuhlu and ANC Bay chief whip Wandisile Jikeka.
The ANC holds three of the four most powerful seats in the council — mayor, chief whip and speaker.
It is also the majority party in the coalition in charge of the city.
The Herald spoke to 29 of the 41 branch leaders who qualified for the conference.
Of these, 14 threw their weight behind Lobishe for chair, 12 backed Nqakula, two supported Nkuhlu and one endorsed Jikeka.
The remaining branch leaders either did not respond or could not be reached.
Nqakula’s camp is supporting Sicelo Mleve as deputy chair, Zola Mayedwa as secretary, Nokuthula Maswana as deputy secretary and Samkelo Dlulani as treasurer.
Lobishe’s camp is supporting Lufefe Mkutu for deputy chair, Siphiwo Tshaka for secretary, with Nontombi Nama for deputy secretary and Luvuyo Mini seeking a second term as treasurer.
Pre-conference registrations started at Florence Matomela House on Friday last week.
However, the verification report from ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, dated September 8, indicates that only 41 branches qualified for the conference.
According to the report, Lobishe’s branch in KwaDwesi has been disqualified.
Tshaka, the regional task team co-ordinator, said the date given to the region to hold its conference was next weekend.
“From a regional point of view, we are ready, but there are still some gaps which are not of our own making,” he said.
“There are two branches that sat after the verification report, and we are hoping by the end of the week to get a report inclusive of the two.
“On the BMGs [branch general meetings], there are comrades who felt meetings were not run smoothly, and so there are still appeals that have not been entertained by the PDRC [provincial dispute resolution committee].
“We’re following up to check how far that process is.
“We’ve got about five branches that are still waiting on those outcomes.”
Tshaka said the venue had been booked, including accommodation for delegates.
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RTT member Bongani Mani, one of the leading lobbyists in the Nqakula camp, called for the conference to start next Friday.
“The non-sitting of the conference will not do us any good, not as a lobby group, but as the ANC,” he said.
“We didn’t just wake up one day with Nqakula’s name in mind.
“We sat down and discussed all the available solutions and possibilities.
“The issue of Jikeka is a decision of the collective.”
Nqakula stepped aside from his post as secretary in 2022.
He was charged with allegations that he had bribed former DA councillors to oust Athol Trollip as mayor in 2018.
The matter is still in court.
On this, Mani said the provincial and national structures should determine a candidate’s eligibility.
“If that indication is that he cannot stand, Jikeka is there to step into the position.
“So far, we believe we are way ahead of the other candidates.”
Lobishe lobbyist, councillor Mandlakazi Mabuda, said there was not much to share.
“She’s leading in terms of nominations, and she will come back as the regional chair.
“There is no doubt about that.”
ANC member Thanduxolo Doda, spokesperson for the Alex Matikinca cluster in Motherwell, said the majority of their branches supported Lobishe, with Tshaka favoured for secretary.
The cluster consists of seven branches.
Out of these, two support Nqakula, with one backing Jikeka, according to The Herald’s poll.
The rest support Lobishe.
“We’re only focusing on continuity because we want to build stability in the city and the organisation,” Doda said.
“This will be Tshaka’s first time as secretary and he’s a fairly young person which is what we want.
“We want to create stability through continuity.
“We are talking to other clusters to support our view.”
The regional women’s, veterans and youth leagues will also have a say.
ANC Youth League regional chair Sandiso Makwetu said they wanted leaders from their league.
“The youth league has resolved that we are supporting unity for the chair, their deputy must be [ANCYL national executive committee member and MP] Mkutu, secretary Siphiwo Tshaka, his deputy Nama and Mini for treasurer.”
A member of the regional task team, who did not want to be named, said there would not be an outright winner at the conference.
“People are talking to each other because, in the region, we’ve seen how rural areas have influenced conference outcomes due to provincial politics,” the insider said.
“We can’t be discussing provincial politics when our own provincial conference hasn’t concluded, and some agree with this.
“What will emerge from this conference will likely be a unity slate, especially since nominations could come from the floor.
“The verification report may say one thing, but what really matters is the delegates who actually attend and who they will vote for.”
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