The re-election of Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC president will provide more economic stability for the country as the reconstruction and recovery efforts of the battered economy continue.
This is according to Mmamoloko Kubayi, the outgoing head of the ANC’s economic transformation committee. Speaking to Sunday World on the sidelines of the 55th ANC elective conference currently sitting in the Nasrec Convention Centre in Gauteng, Kubayi said Ramaphosa’s victory augurs well for the continuation of the fight against corruption.
“This means economic stability, and it also gives assurance that the work that has been started around the economic reconstruction and recovery continues. The fact that he has been re-elected means that the work we are doing in government will continue. Structural reforms will continue and the work that he has been doing around fighting corruption will also continue,” explained Kubayi.
She pointed out that the election of Fikile Mbalula to head the secretariat meant that the president had to make an immediate appointment. The secretary-general position is a full-time position requiring the incumbent to be stationed at the party’s headquarters in Luthuli house.
“We’ll have to tell the president that we cannot leave the vacancy forever, it is a critical career in terms of government,” she said.
On the ANC’s organizational renewal project, Kubayi said the new leadership collective was fit for the purpose, saying they will mend the crippling of the ruling party that led to massive electoral losses.
“The top seven I do believe that they bring the continuation of work that we’re doing around renewal. Comrades who stood outside of the slate, such as comrade Nomvula [Mokonyane] and comrade Paul [Mashatile] but understanding them and their articulation for renewal has been very clear. I believe that all of them will be able to work towards a united ANC,” said Kubayi.
She said the conference had also produced a gender generational mix and presented hope to South Africans.
Following the announcement of the conference results, the South African rand strengthened to R 17. 26 to the US dollar, an improvement close to 3%. The news comes on the back of an announcement by Statistics South Africa that the economy had expanded by 1.6% in the third quarter. Manufacturing, agriculture, transport and other industries were key drivers of the slight economic recovery. The new ANC top seven have a mammoth task on their shoulders, including putting an end to the rolling power cuts, which have plunged the country into darkness and severely affected the small business sector as well as business as a whole.
Earlier on Monday, President Cyril Ramaphosa won the ANC presidential contest with 2 476 votes, while his contender, former minister of health Zweli Mkhize, received 1 897 votes.
Other candidates who emerged are as follows:
– Deputy president – Paul Mashatile: 2 178 votes
– First deputy secretary general – Nomvula Mokonyane: 2 195 votes
– Second Deputy general – Maropene Ramokgopa: 2 373 votes
– National chairperson – Gwede Mantashe: 2 062 votes
– TreasurerGeneral – Gwen Ramakgopa: 1 809
– Secretary general – Fikile Mbalula: 1 692
It was the first time that the party’s treasurer position was won by a woman since the formation of the ANC in 1912. Three women also emerged in the ruling party’s top seven.
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