Just as the ANC Women’s League national conference kicks off on Friday, KwaZulu-Natal’s Harry Gwala region delegates have allegedly dumped Bathabile Dlamini.
Aspiring for another term, Bathabile Dlamini is a candidate for the league’s presidential office.
Sunday World understands that a last-minute change of heart has boosted the chances of Thembeka Mchunu, wife of Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu, to be elected as president of the women’s league.
The presidential contest features three prominent candidates – Bathabile Dlamini, Mchunu, and Deputy Minister in the Presidency Sisisi Tolashe.
The national conference to elect the women’s league new leaders gets under way in the afternoon at Nasrec in Johannesburg.
The Harry Gwala branches had initially backed Bathabile Dlamini, who is a former social development minister.
Sunday World understands that voting delegates received an instruction to reverse their stance at an eleventh-hour meeting held at the O.R. Tambo Hotel.
The reasons for the sudden twist were not disclosed, but it appeared the collective who attended the meeting endorsed the decision.
A delegate who chose to remain anonymous said: “This was decided at the meeting last night. The Harry Gwala region will no longer support Bathabile Dlamini for a second term.”
The delegate said the Harry Gwala region will now throw its weight behind Mchunu.
When approached for comment, regional coordinator Thobile Ngubo neither denied nor confirmed the claims.
Instead, she abruptly ended the conversation after refusing to offer clarification. Sources said Bathabile Dlamini’s chances of securing another term as league president look bleak.
However, Bathabile Dlamini’s unwavering support for former president Jacob Zuma offers a glimmer of hope, given the substantial following Zuma commands in the province.
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