ANC’s December succession winner could win or lose 2019

The ANC December elective conference outcome could change the overall results of the 2019 national elections. The 54th national conference which will take place from the 16th to 20th December 2017, the conference which takes place every five years is about selective the leadership for the upcoming elections in 2019.

The road has already started and by the look of things the race makes the party more divided each day, dirty political cards have already been played out. We have already witnessed the deputy president's emails being leaked and published.

The party may be divided in the race to December elective conference where candidates were selected by different party structures, deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa hoping to succeed president Jacob Zuma as his deputy when his second term end in December after the elective conference, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma chairperson of the African Union as a selected candidate by the women’s league and the minister of human settlement Lindiwe Sisulu has also launched her presidential by accepting the nomination from the ANC women’s league regions in Eastern Cape province to race for the conference.

The above candidates are the ones contesting for presidential candidates come December conference. This makes the party votes to be divided as the have different candidates they prefer to take over the presidential candidate. Could we be seeing the coming of a new party after the conference? We are yet to see if the conference will be peaceful and if the losing candidate will accept defeat, and let the winners lead the party to the 2019 national elections.

With South Africa and opposition parties calling for Zuma to step down there’s no doubt that he will not be re-elected to be the party’s president for the third term, some believe the party is ready for a women president while some think Ramaphosa should take over Zuma as his deputy. Whatever the outcome of the December NEC conference the person who is going to come out victorious, the results from the conference could either secure the ANC win or it could give it away to the oppositions.

By: Mahlatse Makhafola