The ANC Women's League (ANCWL) on Monday announced its preferred top six candidates to lead the ANC after its December conference, throwing its weight behind three women candidates. In addition to Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, whom the league has openly backed for president for a while, the ANCWL added Jessie Duarte (as deputy secretary-general) and Maite Nkoana-Mashabane (as treasurer-general) to its preferred slate.
The ANCWL's extended national executive committee (NEC) meeting, which was attended by representatives from various provinces, comes ahead of the ANC's briefing to be held on Tuesday on the outcomes of its special NEC meeting that was held at the past weekend.
In a statement, the ANCWL said that the meeting further reaffirmed the need for fundamental changes in "the structure, systems, institutions and patterns of ownership, management and control of the economy in favour of all South Africans, the majority of who are African and female".
The statement also said that the league had agreed on its top six [the NEC] and the additional members, of which 50% will be women, which it thinks will champion radical economic transformation to eradicate inequality, unemployment and poverty in South Africa.
"For over 23 [years], the majority have been enjoying political freedom with little or nothing to celebrate on economic freedom. The economy is still in the hands of the minority. The leadership to be elected in the 54th ANC National Conference must be fearless and unapologetic in implementing the radical economic transformation (sic)," the statement said.
According to the statement, the women's league's preferred candidates are as follows:
1. President: Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
2. Deputy president: DD Mabuza
3. National chairperson: Nathi Mthethwa
4. Secretary-general: Ace Magashule
5. Deputy secretary-general: Jessie Duarte
6. Treasure-general: Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.