SOUTH AFRICA: SISISI TOLASHE ELECTED NEW ANCWL PRESIDENT

Tolashe, who had been a front-runner in the race, beat KwaZulu-Natal’s Thembeka Mchunu, and former league president Bathabile Dlamini.

Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe. Picture: Facebook/Sisisi Tolashe for ANCWL President 

Tshidi Madia | 23 July 2023 18:45

JOHANNESBURG - The Eastern Cape’s Nokuzola Sisisi Tolashe has been elected the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) president at its 13th national conference.

She beat KwaZulu-Natal’s Thembeka Mchunu, and former league president Bathabile Dlamini.

Tolashe received 1729 votes, compared to Mchunu's 1038 and Dlamini's 170 votes.

The results were announced on Sunday evening at the Nasrec expo centre, where the women had been holding their internal contest.

Tolashe had been the front-runner of the race, garnering well over 1,000 nominations from ANCWL branches.

Tolashe’s victory is a win for those who were defeated by Bathabile and her core back in 2015, when she unseated former league president Angie Motshekga to control the powerful women’s league.

She did face a threat though, when some in the faction made up of backers of party president Cyril Ramaphosa and Motshekga deflected, resulting in Mchunu becoming a third way in the race.

Last-minute attempts for Mchunu and Dlamini to work together also failed, this with Dlamini’s supporters accusing the ANC member of Parliament of being too arrogant for refusing to stand down in order to back Dlamini.

Some had suggested a deal between the pair should see Dlamini being elected as the first additional member, or even nominated for a top post, should the bid for a constitutional amendment to increase the number of officials from five to six pass.

However, the latter suggestion is impossible as the ANC’s constitution, which also applies to the league, dictates that changes to the constitution of its structures should be tabled at least three months ahead of a conference in order for them to be considered.

The conference was plagued by several delays, with delegates still yet to vote for additional members who will form part of the ANCWL’s 40-member national executive committee.

It’ll follow the example set at the ANC’s 55th national conference in December last year of catching up remaining issues, and completing the gathering through hybrid platforms.