Veteran African National Congress (ANC) member Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has attributed the growing influence of money and entrenched gender bias to some of the defining leadership outcomes in the governing party, warning that internal contests have increasingly been shaped by financial power rather than political conviction.
Speaking on the African Renaissance Podcast hosted by Mbuyiseni Ndlozi on Monday, Dlamini-Zuma reflected on her failed bids for senior ANC positions and questioned the integrity of the party’s internal electoral processes.
‘Money plays a big role’
Asked what the situation meant for the calibre of the party’s leadership, Dlamini-Zuma said financial influence had become a significant factor in determining who occupies senior positions.
“Money is playing a big role in the ANC in choosing leadership.”
Dlamini-Zuma reflected on her unsuccessful presidential campaign at the ANC’s 2017 national conference, stating that she had expected to win, but now believes that money may have influenced the outcome. She was going against President Cyril Ramaphosa at the time but lost by a narrow margin.
“I have no idea. I thought I was going to win, but maybe money. Maybe, I don’t know.”
She argued that the role of money in ANC leadership contests has become increasingly visible, saying allegations of vote buying at the party’s 2022 elective conference were widely known. She added that Fikile Mbalula “dished” out money to secure his spot as the secretary-general of the party while the money was also meant to ensure Ramaphosa’s position as the organisation’s leader.
“As I understand, the use of money is criminal in terms of ANC conferences. Money was used clearly. We all know. We all saw it in 2022. If you ask anyone who worked at the clinic at the time, they’ll tell you. Even the media reported it. So, it’s not revealing a secret.”
Half a billion rand found in someone’s room
Dlamini-Zuma went further, alleging that on the first morning of the 2022 ANC conference, half a billion rand was found in somebody’s room.
She said both delegates and conference workers were aware of the alleged vote-buying.
She said she is unable to judge how leaders who benefited from financial backing make decisions because she had never accepted money in exchange for political support.
“Because I’ve never been bought, I don’t know how you make decisions when you were paid in order to win or to be where you are. I don’t know whether you make decisions independently or you think of the money you’ve got.”
Dlamini-Zuma reflected on the ANC’s 2007 Polokwane conference, where she ran for deputy president, stating that both factional politics and resistance to female leadership undermined her campaign.
“I think it was a combination of both. They obviously didn’t want a woman deputy president because there was a man that was contesting. But maybe I was contesting on the wrong side as well,” she said.
The case of ‘the ex’
She explained that members aligned to the opposing faction had wanted her to contest for ANC chairperson, but she rejected the proposal because she did not want to serve in the same top leadership structure as her former husband, former president Jacob Zuma.
“They wanted me to be chair. But I thought it wasn’t going to be a good thing because people would always say ‘the ex’. I didn’t want to be in the same top six with the ex.”
Despite her concerns, Dlamini-Zuma said she had chosen to remain in the ANC rather than leave the organisation.
“Do we abandon the ANC? Should we have abandoned the ANC in 2022? That’s the question. I felt we couldn’t abandon it, and that’s why I’m there. But it’s a fight to push back against the monetisation of the ANC.”
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- Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma criticized the growing influence of money and gender bias in ANC leadership contests, asserting financial power often outweighs political conviction.
- She reflected on her failed bids for senior ANC positions, suggesting vote-buying and monetary influence affected the outcomes, including her narrow loss in the 2017 presidential race.
- Dlamini-Zuma alleged that half a billion rand was found in a delegate's room during the 2022 ANC conference, pointing to widespread awareness of vote-buying among delegates and workers.
- She cited factional politics and resistance to female leadership as factors undermining her 2007 deputy president campaign, avoiding a leadership role to not serve alongside her ex-husband, Jacob Zuma.
- Despite challenges, Dlamini-Zuma remains in the ANC, committed to fighting against the monetisation of the party rather than abandoning it.
Veteran African National
Asked what the situation meant for the calibre of the party's leadership,
"Money is playing a big role in the ANC in choosing leadership."
"I have no idea. I thought I was going to win, but maybe money. Maybe, I don't know."
"As I understand, the use of money is criminal in terms of ANC conferences. Money was used clearly. We all know. We all saw it in 2022. If you ask anyone who worked at the clinic at the time, they'll tell you. Even the media reported it. So, it's not revealing a secret."
"Because I've never been bought, I don't know how you make decisions when you were paid in order to win or to be where you are. I don't know whether you make decisions independently or you think of the money you've got."
"I think it was a combination of both.
"
Despite her concerns,
"Do we abandon the ANC?
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