By: Sello Theletsane
Tourism Minister and ANC national executive committee member Lindiwe Sisulu’s campaign to lead the ANC is gaining momentum with several ruling party structures and branches endorsing her.
In the past few weeks, Sisulu’s campaign has made significant progress, getting the nod from among others ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) in North West and Gauteng while ANC branches in several parts of the country have rallied behind her. On August 28, ANCWL in Ekurhuleni Region (GP) invited Sisulu to address thousands of its members gathered at Germiston Civic Theatre. The ANCWL had only specific items on their agenda: Umembeso of the new members, with Sisulu being the conferrer. The women instructed Sisulu to go to Mahlambandlovu and Luthuli House and protect women and their children from victimisation and abuse. “Our hopes are on you, we have seen you, we looked at you, we trust you and we are comfortable about your track record, go and represent us as our candidate in December at the ANC conference,” the women asked Sisulu.
This endorsement was followed by that of ANCWL Ward 44 in Kariega (Tinarha/ Uitenhage), in Nelson Mandela Metro Eastern Cape), who invited Sisulu to address them on the scourge of sexual abuses, particularly rape, harassment, assault, and victimisation of women across the country. Like Ekurhuleni, the league didn’t miss the opportunity to ask and pronounce Sisulu as their presidential candidate, come the December conference. Last week, Sisulu addressed hundreds of Stellenbosch University students where she delivered the Dullar Omar Lecture, organised by both ANC branches from Ward 8,9,20 in partnership with the South African Students Congress (SASCO). They also endorsed her as their candidate at the ANC’s elective conference in December.
ANC Ward 73 in Ekurhuleni also joined dozens of ANC branches and structures countrywide that have nominated Sisulu to stand for the position of ANC president at the party’s elective conference in December. Recently Sisulu also secured the endorsement of Ward ANC Ward 73, Ekurhuleni, and Fort Hare University branch of the ANC in Ward 11, Raymond Mhlaba Subregion in Amathole Region Eastern Cape.
On Saturday 27 August Sisulu was invited and warmly welcomed by the leadership of Diza Putini Zone, Ekurhuleni Region Ward 73. Sisulu was accompanied by the senior ANC NEC member and former Cabinet member Suzan Shabangu. Sisulu was invited to deliver a memorial lecture on the contribution made by women in the struggle for liberation. Amongst those who were present were some ANC regional executive committee members (REC) and Umkhonto WeSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) regional and provincial leaders.
A week earlier, ANC Fort Hare University invited Sisulu to deliver the Govan Mbeki Memorial Lecture at the University, an event that was attended by hundreds of students. The Fort Hare ANC branch joined many other ANC branches and structures in several parts of the country that endorsed Sisulu, including branches from many regions in the Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Central Karoo in Western Cape, Vhembe in Limpopo, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni in Gauteng, Mangaung in Free State, OR Tambo, Dr. WB Rubusana and Nelson Mandela Bay in Eastern Cape.
Recently Sisulu led women in a march against gender-based violence in Ward 4 Tshwane which got pleas from ANC members to lead the party. A source close to her campaign said Sisulu is quietly consolidating the regions and branches behind her. “The good thing about her is that she is not imposing herself, she rather responds to the requests and calls for her to lead. Most of her contenders are perceived to be imposing themselves and aggressively using money and intimidatory tactics to coerce the structures to be nominated.”
Added the source: “So far her campaign is clean, anchored in the old traditional values of the ANC. It is a value and people-based campaign with clean ethos.” Sisulu is yet to publicly announce whether she will accept nomination to stand for ANC Presidency at the party’s elective conference in December.
However, she is on record saying she will serve her party in whatever capacity ANC branches ask her to serve.
Mme Sisulu, you have been here since 1994. Don’t you think it’s time to retire gracefully and be with your grandchildren. Surely they deserve to be with their grandmother. With due respect, South Africans deserve much better. Even the Bible teaches that “a government without a benevolent despot of supernatural origin as its leader cannot be a happy experience, but a source human misery”.