In a direct challenge to incumbent Eastern Cape ANC chairperson Oscar Mabuyane, provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi has entered the race to lead the party in the province, centering his campaign on a message of organisational renewal, unity and a decisive fight against corruption among party deployees.
The contest sets the stage for a pivotal provincial congress at the end of March, which will elect new leaders for all positions, including chairperson and provincial secretary.
Both Mabuyane’s and Ngcukayitobi’s terms end in early March.
Ngcukayitobi confirmed to Sunday World that he accepted a call from branches to contest the top position, adding that he has never backed down whenever a request is tabled for him to avail himself.
He stated that if the branches have trust in him to contest Mabuyane, he saw it fit to honour the wishes of the members of the ANC who wanted him to lead the organisation in the Eastern Cape.
“Based on the support I have from the branches, I took a decision to avail myself for the position of being a chairperson of the ANC in the province based on my experience and knowledge towards steering the party to greater heights,” he said.
He pointed out during his tenure in two terms as the provincial secretary of the party, he had gained much experience and also learnt the ropes in terms of leadership when it comes to taking the ANC forward.
Positioning himself as a unifying force for a bruised organisation, he stated, “As we work towards the renewal of the ANC, I am in a better position to unite our members and supporters as a leader in the province. Our organisation is bruised, and we need to work hard to rebuild the trust of the people we represent provincially and nationally.”
Central to his platform is a pledge to root out corruption. He pointedly criticised corrupt party deployees in government.
“There are many challenges which the ANC in the province should deal with and also focus on rooting out corruption among some party deployees who are giving the organisation a bad name,” Ngcukayitobi said.
“I am going to contest for the position of chairperson so that I can work with the formidable team in the ANC here in the Eastern Cape to bring stability and unity within the organisation and in government. I also must state that being a leader or a member in the ANC doesn’t translate to people getting positions in government.”
He further outlined a clear separation between party membership and government entitlement. “The ANC and the government are different entities altogether, and this thing of people who think that they are members of the party and that they are entitled to government positions should end. We should work for the people who voted for the ANC to lead the government in the province, not work against them.”
Ngcukayitobi said he has the experience to reshape the party’s direction.
His vision, he stated, is to “restore hope and dreams of the Eastern Cape” by rebuilding public trust. “As the party, we need to re-evaluate and build the trust of the people towards achieving our goal as a collective and work for our people, not for ourselves.”
