Nomvula Mokonyane's candidacy for ANC presidency causes rift within the party

ANC Deputy Secretary-General (DSG) Nomvula Mokonyane finds herself potentially at odds with the party’s leadership after publicly declaring her candidacy as president for the ANC’s 2027 elective conference. 

This pronouncement directly contravenes a directive from top ANC officials advising members against making such declarations until after next year's local government elections.

Mokonyane's declaration, made during a recent interview, has sent ripples of discontent through Luthuli House, the ANC’s headquarters.

 A senior member of the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC), who wished to remain anonymous, expressed the sentiment of many within the party. 

"What you do on the left you have to do on the right… the DSG would have to face the music… and apologise to the party as this was stressed at our previous NEC meeting that we cannot be making pronouncements like that… at least not yet," the NEC member said.

The directive to refrain from early campaigning stems from a collective decision by the party, aiming to focus on the upcoming 2026 local government elections before diverting attention to internal succession battles.

"There were many comrades who were gearing up for contestation but you don't see them going around showing interest," the NEC member added, highlighting the perceived disregard for party discipline by Mokonyane.

The source further drew a comparison to ANC Secretary-General (GS) Fikile Mbalula, who, despite speaking at regional conferences, has carefully avoided outright declarations of his own ambitions. 

"The GS (Mbalula) himself has been speaking at Regional conferences… even though it may seem, to others that he is campaigning he does not say it outrightly… so the DSG is not special and must toe the line of the ANC," the source asserted.

This is not the first instance of internal discomfort regarding premature campaigning within the ANC. 

Earlier this year, concerns were raised when supporters of ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile openly campaigned for his candidacy in the Johannesburg Region, donning ANC T-shirts bearing his image. 

Mashatile himself condemned those actions, emphasising that the succession debate should not overshadow the party’s priority of performing well in next year's municipal elections.

Similarly, during an exclusive interview with Independent Media, ANC NEC member and former Health Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma declined to be drawn into questions of succession, stating the party was not yet ready to discuss it and was focused on the upcoming elections.

Despite her reticence, Dlamini-Zuma's name is frequently mentioned in Luthuli House corridors as a potential candidate to become the ANC’s first female party president.

Mokonyane, however, has been unreserved in her belief that the ANC is ready for a female president, and she is prepared to stand if her name is put forward. 

"The party is more than ready for a female president, and she is prepared to stand should her name be put forward ahead of the 2027 elections," she said during the interview at the weekend.

She further criticised the “deeply conservative” and “patriarchal” nature of the ANC, which she believes often reinforces divisions among women. 

"The ANC is a very conservative organisation. Patriarchy works stronger when women are used against one another," Mokonyane said, echoing recent comments by the party’s Treasurer-General Dr Gwen Ramokgopa about the lack of support among women in the party.

She believes the issue of women’s leadership is often manipulated by individuals, including women themselves, who are not genuinely committed to the advancement of other women.

Despite these challenges, Mokonyane remains optimistic. She further cited the 1991 national conference, where women successfully lobbied for a 30% quota for female representation in leadership, as a precedent for overcoming obstacles. 

"We walked in there, being part of the ANC, and we left that conference with a 30% representation of women. It took Madiba (Former president Nelson Mandela) to ask the conference to listen to women," she recalled, crediting leaders like Barbara Masekela, Emma Mashinini, and Albertina Sisulu. 

"If we were able to realise those goals, then why must it be difficult to have a woman president now?"

Mokonyane argued that the question should no longer be whether the ANC is ready for a woman president, but rather that women are eligible and should be supported. 

"We’ve had the ANC led by six men, or five men and one woman. I’m a proponent of women taking over the ANC. Whether you are alone, make your voice known." When directly asked if she would stand for ANC president, Mokonyane responded without hesitation: "Yes."

"If the ANC structures are calling for someone to stand, and that person is eligible in line with the ANC constitution, why must you stop that person?" she questioned. 

Mbalula and party spokesperson Mahlengi-Bhengu Motsiri had not responded to requests for comment regarding Mokonyane's declaration and whether there would be consequences. 

mashudu.sadike@inl.co.za