ANC Eastern Cape chairperson Oscar Mabuyane is refusing to commit to whether he will contest for the party’s deputy president position, insisting the discussion remains premature. He also pushed back against claims that the ANC must rely on senior national figures to win back support in key metros.
Speaking to reporters about the ANC’s national general council, Mabuyane stressed that his immediate focus is securing a third term as provincial chair — a race he plans to approach “with muscles flexed” at next year’s provincial conference.
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“The discussion is all out. Everybody is discussing a unit of the ANC. Everyone would want to see an ANC that is united, an ANC that can manage its transition much better.
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“As a province, we are not going to shy away from that discussion. We are not yet discussing any names on who becomes what, that is a function of branches,” he said.
Regions in the Eastern Cape have already endorsed him for another term, but Mabuyane insisted that what matters most is the mandate of branches. “We will be having a conference of branches, not a conference of regions.
“Regions can express themselves, but come March branches will have to nominate, and at that time I’ll be able to talk to branches,” he added.
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Mabuyane also weighed in on the ANC’s growing debate over whether ministers and former ministers should be deployed as mayoral candidates in metros — a strategy triggered by the DA’s move to field high-profile figures, including veteran leader Helen Zille.
The Eastern Cape leader argued that national seniority does not automatically translate into effective local governance. “Seniority of ministers was not a ‘barometer to measure the capability of individuals’,” he said.
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He warned that many ministers would struggle with the direct demands of community-level service delivery.
“I can tell you many ministers will never fit at the coal face of service delivery where our people are. We have strong individuals, we are looking at the capacity of each and every individual. That individual must be supported. I believe in that,” he said.
Mabuyane Backs Women Leaders in Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay
Mabuyane expressed confidence in the capability of local leadership within the province’s two key metros — Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay — noting that both are now led by strong women chairpersons following earlier organisational challenges.
“With appropriate support, appropriate systems, those women will be able to prevail. I have all the trust in them, and we will make sure they succeed,” he said.
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