Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07PRETORIA3475
2007-10-02 15:39:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Pretoria
Cable title:
ANC NOW ACCEPTING OFFICIAL PARTY NOMINATIONS
how-toVZCZCXRO4539 RR RUEHDU RUEHMR RUEHRN DE RUEHSA #3475 2751539 ZNY CCCCC ZZH R 021539Z OCT 07 FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2101 INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 4914 RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 9234 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L PRETORIA 003475
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/02/2017
TAGS: PGOV SF
SUBJECT: ANC NOW ACCEPTING OFFICIAL PARTY NOMINATIONS
REF: PRETORIA 3328
Classified By: Deputy Political Counselor Catherine Kay. Reasons 1.4(b)
.
C O N F I D E N T I A L PRETORIA 003475
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/02/2017
TAGS: PGOV SF
SUBJECT: ANC NOW ACCEPTING OFFICIAL PARTY NOMINATIONS
REF: PRETORIA 3328
Classified By: Deputy Political Counselor Catherine Kay. Reasons 1.4(b)
.
1. (SBU) The ANC finished its membership audit on 30
September, according to press reports, revealing that the
party has increased its membership by almost 50 percent since
2002. Total membership now stands at 619,255 members,
compared to 416,846 members immediately before the ANC's last
national conference in 2002. As expected, Eastern Cape has
the highest number of members at 153,164 and will
consequently have the greatest number of voting delegates in
December. KwaZulu-Natal comes in second at 102,742 members,
followed by Limpopo (67,304),Free State (61,258),Gauteng
(59,675),Mpumalanga (54,266),North West (47,892),Northern
Cape (37,358),and Western Cape (35,596). (COMMENT: Eastern
Cape's numbers are higher than expected and could be
attributed to last minute lobbying by Eastern Cape officials
to ANC Secretary General Motlanthe. END COMMENT)
2. (U) ANC Spokesperson Tiyani Rikhotso publicly said that
the maximum number of voting delegates is 4,000 and that
3,600 will come from branches in direct proportion to
provincial membership. The remaining 400 will come from the
ANC Women's and Youth Leagues (53 delegates each) and the
national and provincial executive committees. In real terms,
this means that Eastern Cape will likely have about 50
percent more delegates than KwaZulu-Natal. However, with so
many provinces still undecided on who should lead the ANC,
voting blocs may not necessarily be drawn along neat
provincial boundaries.
3. (U) With the ANC auditing process officially over, ANC
provincial structures may now send in their nominations for
the top six positions in the party (President, Deputy
President, Chairman, Secretary General, Deputy Secretary
General, and Treasurer) and the 60-member National Executive
Committee. No province has publicly declared its party list
yet.
4. (C) COMMENT. Though 90 percent of voting delegates come
from the branch level, the independence of their votes is
debatable. A careful examination of membership figures over
the past ten years reveals a party whose membership waxes and
wanes based on conference and election schedules. Even the
ANC's own Organizational Report from 2005 points out that
"branches are launched prior to conferences and election
campaigns, only to collapse a few months later." While not
illegal, it begs the question of whether recruitment over the
past several months has been based on ideology or political
expediency and more importantly, who in each region has
managed to recruit the most new members. END COMMENT.
Bost
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/02/2017
TAGS: PGOV SF
SUBJECT: ANC NOW ACCEPTING OFFICIAL PARTY NOMINATIONS
REF: PRETORIA 3328
Classified By: Deputy Political Counselor Catherine Kay. Reasons 1.4(b)
.
1. (SBU) The ANC finished its membership audit on 30
September, according to press reports, revealing that the
party has increased its membership by almost 50 percent since
2002. Total membership now stands at 619,255 members,
compared to 416,846 members immediately before the ANC's last
national conference in 2002. As expected, Eastern Cape has
the highest number of members at 153,164 and will
consequently have the greatest number of voting delegates in
December. KwaZulu-Natal comes in second at 102,742 members,
followed by Limpopo (67,304),Free State (61,258),Gauteng
(59,675),Mpumalanga (54,266),North West (47,892),Northern
Cape (37,358),and Western Cape (35,596). (COMMENT: Eastern
Cape's numbers are higher than expected and could be
attributed to last minute lobbying by Eastern Cape officials
to ANC Secretary General Motlanthe. END COMMENT)
2. (U) ANC Spokesperson Tiyani Rikhotso publicly said that
the maximum number of voting delegates is 4,000 and that
3,600 will come from branches in direct proportion to
provincial membership. The remaining 400 will come from the
ANC Women's and Youth Leagues (53 delegates each) and the
national and provincial executive committees. In real terms,
this means that Eastern Cape will likely have about 50
percent more delegates than KwaZulu-Natal. However, with so
many provinces still undecided on who should lead the ANC,
voting blocs may not necessarily be drawn along neat
provincial boundaries.
3. (U) With the ANC auditing process officially over, ANC
provincial structures may now send in their nominations for
the top six positions in the party (President, Deputy
President, Chairman, Secretary General, Deputy Secretary
General, and Treasurer) and the 60-member National Executive
Committee. No province has publicly declared its party list
yet.
4. (C) COMMENT. Though 90 percent of voting delegates come
from the branch level, the independence of their votes is
debatable. A careful examination of membership figures over
the past ten years reveals a party whose membership waxes and
wanes based on conference and election schedules. Even the
ANC's own Organizational Report from 2005 points out that
"branches are launched prior to conferences and election
campaigns, only to collapse a few months later." While not
illegal, it begs the question of whether recruitment over the
past several months has been based on ideology or political
expediency and more importantly, who in each region has
managed to recruit the most new members. END COMMENT.
Bost