Qaanitah Hunter| Cii News| 2 October 2012

With the nomination process towards the ANC elective conference in Mangaung officially opened on Monday, ANC spokesperson, Jackson Mthembu, explained all organisational machinery that will now kick into action.

Speaking Cii’s morning programme, Sabaahul Khair, Mthembu detailed what is involved before the actual conference to take place in December.

The conference is the 53rd of its kind in the South African ruling party and the 4th since the end of apartheid.

The main focus of the conference is to determine who will run the party and essentially who will take up the highest office in the country should the ANC win the majority vote in elections in 2014.

Below is a summary and categorisation of each of the stages as stated by Mthembu.

First stage:

Determining which branches qualify for the nominations.

All branches of the ANC in every province were audited and scrutinised to determine their eligibility to nominate candidates.

The mandate of eligibility is that a branch is required to have 100 or more members.

3674 branches from the total of 4000 were declared eligible as they had the minimum of requirement of members.

Approximately 400 branches were not entitled to nominations due to their dwindling numbers.

Second stage:

The second stage is determining how many delegates will represent the various branches at the conference.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) decided that each of the 3647 branches should have 1 delegate each.

However in line with the mandate that 90% of the conference should be occupied by branches, 416 seats then remain.

Today the ANC secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe and provincial leaders, will decide on a formula to distribute the seats.

Third stage:

Eligible branches who will be represented at the conference will then gather to determine who should occupy the NEC.

They will give importance to determining whom they should nominate in the ANC top six positions, namely; president, deputy president, secretary general, deputy secretary general, national chairperson and treasurer general.

Currently these positions are occupied by Jacob Zuma, Kgalema Mothlante, Gwede Manatshe, Thandi Modise, Baleka Mbete and Mathews Phosa.

The branches will also determine whom they would like to occupy the other 80 seats of the NEC but are not compelled to submit nominations for all 80 seats.

They will record their preferences on a nomination form issued by the ANC headquarters in Luthuli House which will be signed by the branch chairperson and secretary.

A senior provincial or regional officer will also sign the document indicating that it is a genuine nomination.

Thereafter the branch will internally decide which of its members will be appointed as a delegate to put forward the nominations at the conference in Mangaung.

This delegate then goes with the mandate of their nominations and attempts to influence other branches.

A final vote at the conference between the 16th and 20th of December will determine the ultimate decision.