At the recent ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) conference, former Minister of Communications, Dina Pule, made a surprising return to the political stage.
Despite her dismissal in 2013 due to allegations of lying to Parliament and abusing her position for personal gain, Pule was elected as the deputy secretary-general of the ANCWL.
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During her time as a high-ranking minister, a parliamentary probe revealed that she had misused her office to benefit her boyfriend, leading to her removal from the Cabinet after President Jacob Zuma’s reshuffle.
Since then, Pule had maintained a low profile in politics. However, delegates at the conference took a notable interest in Pule’s candidacy when her name was brought up from the floor.
The election eventually saw Sisisi Tolashe from the Eastern Cape, who also serves as the Deputy Minister in the Presidency, assume the position of Women’s League president.
Other key leadership roles were filled by Lungi Gcabashe as deputy president, Nokuthula Nqaba as secretary-general, and Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae as treasurer-general.
According to an anonymous ANC insider, Pule’s nomination was a result of the views and preferences of the party’s branches.
The decision to vote for Tolashe over former ANCWL president Bathabile Dlamini was seemingly influenced by a strategic plan to address dynamics within the ANC, particularly in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) region.
Thembeka Mchunu, wife of Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu, had been considered a frontrunner for the Women’s League presidency, but her support waned during the conference.
Rumors circulated about ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa’s backing of Mchunu and Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula’s support for Tolashe, adding complexity to the dynamics of the leadership contest.
Political analyst Dr. Fikile Vilakazi from the University of KwaZulu-Natal emphasized that Pule’s appointment aimed to counter factionalism within the party.
The move was seen as a demonstration of power negotiation through voting, with the dominant slate at the conference striving to avoid the appearance of promoting factional interests.
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Despite Mchunu appearing as the preferred candidate before the conference, Tolashe gained the upper hand due to the clear preference shown by branches.
Notably, the absence of the North West delegation due to allegations of fake registrations, and issues with some KZN regions, may have impacted Mchunu’s standing.
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