The ANC Top 7 after being announced Photo Nasreen Naidoo
President Cyril Ramaphosa has survived the African National Congress’s 55th national elective conference and will come back to Luthuli House with a reconfigured Top 7 leadership. Here’s a closer look at the ruling party’s Top 7.
President: Cyril Ramaphosa
Defeating KwaZulu-Natal’s Dr Zweli Mkhize with 2476 votes to 1897, Cyril Ramaphosa managed to convince increasingly divided delegates to afford him a second chance.
Born 17 November 1952, his rise to power from an anti-apartheid activist to trade unionist to businessman to First Citizen is a source of pride for Sowetans. He was there as Nelson Mandela’s chief negotiator during negotiations for the end of apartheid in the 1990’s. He is here when the country emerges from a devastating pandemic.
However, anyone following the drama that unfolded since Arthur Fraser surfaced with a story about cash – we’re talking big dollars, really – stashed in a sofa on a Limpopo game farm would know he’s hardly convincing when he speaks of rooting out corruption these days.
Deputy president: Paul Mashatile
Born 21 October 1961 in Pretoria, Mashatile was the son of a domestic worker and a lay priest. It was during his student days that Mashatile entered the political space as an activist in Alexandra Township.
Following the country’s first democratic elections in 1994, Mashatile was elected to the Gauteng Legislature. Two years later, he entered the provincial cabinet as MEC for Transport and Public Works and then Safety and Security, as well as Finance and Economic Affairs over a span of more than a decade.
In 2008, he became Premier of Gauteng but was replaced by Nomvula Mokonyane (now First Deputy Secretary General) less than a year later.
Mashatile is also no stranger to scandal. His name was cleared in at least two of three scandals – between 2006 and 2019 – ranging from business interests to accidentally swiping government credit cards at lavish dinners at upmarket restaurants (not once, but twice).
Chairperson: Gwede Mantashe
Often described as a ‘fossil fuel dinosaur’ – and proud of it – the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy returns to his post as National Chairperson of the ANC.
Born 21 June 1955, Mantashe was a labour migrant who left the Transkei village of Cala to pursue opportunities in the gold-rich mines of Gauteng. He became the National Union of Mineworker’s (NUM) national organiser in 1988.
He later rose within the ranks of the ANC to be elected Secretary-General at the Polokwane conference in 2007. During the push to remove President Jacob Zuma amidst rife allegations of corruption and his costly relationship with the Gupta family, Mantashe repeatedly sided with the president and pushed party members to do the same.
Secretary-General
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula comes in as the secretary-general of the ANC – the fourth person to do so in five years. Initially won by Ace Magashule in 2017, the position saw Jessie Duarte and then Paul Mashatile in the seat after Magashule became the first high profile member to be subject to the party’s step-aside rule.
Mbalula brings in a tough voice to this office and has publicly emphasised the need for discipline within party ranks. In fact, he used his first press briefing as SG on Monday to warn rogue members against ill-discipline and not towing the party line.
What makes the Free State-born Mbalula’s election to the Top 7 interesting to watch is that he is currently the only official to declare his intention to leave government instead of holding a position at the Union Buildings and Luthuli House.
In 2021, Mbalula was accused of irregularly paying millions to three of his advisors. A report by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane found the advisors’ appointments were contrary to the provisions of the Public Service Act. The minister then took an undertaking to recover the money.
First DSG: Nomvula Mokonyane
Nomvula Mokonyane hails from Kagisa, West Rand. She was born on 28 June 1963 as the youngest of ten siblings and has held several positions in government since entering politics.
Mokonyane too finds herself compromised. Scathing was the 2019 testimony of former Bosasa chief operations officer Angelo Agrizzi at the Zondo Commission of Inquiry into State Capture. He claimed Mokonyane was paid R50 000 a month for several years to protect the company from law enforcement agencies.
Furthermore, as Minister of Water and Sanitation, Mokonyane headed the Lesotho Highlands Water Project. The project was initially scheduled to be completed in 2024 at a cost of R22 billion. However, due to delays ordered by Mokonyane, the date of completion has been moved to 2025 and the budget has increased to R26 billion. Her excuse was that the delays were the results of efforts to bring more black-owned businesses on board.
Hours before becoming the First Deputy Secretary-General, the former Gauteng Premier lamented over the failures of the previous NEC. It would be interesting how she gets along after complaining about a lack of comradeship within the party.
Second DSG: Maropene Ramokgopa
Born in 1980, Maropene Ramokgopa is a former student activist who previously held a position as a mayor at the age of 26. She is also significantly younger than other Top 7 officials, alongside Treasurer-General Dr Gwen Ramokgopa.
She was elected to the NEC of the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) in 2008 and is currently a special advisor to President Ramaphosa.
Treasurer-General
Paul Masatile was replaced by Dr Gwen Ramokgopa. Not much is known about her personal life, except that she was born and raised in Atteridgeville, Pretoria.
Ramokgopa was the MEC for Health in Gauteng from 1999 to 2006 and again from 2017 to 2019. She was also the first female Mayor of Tshwane, between 2006 and 2010. She served as the Deputy Minister of Health under Jacob Zuma between 2010 and 2014.
That said, the newly-elected Top 7 officials are said to have given Ramaphosa a boost in the factional battles raging within the ANC. The extent of success of his supposed efforts to renew the disunited, fractured party would be determined in the near future. It also remains to be seen whether they are capable of steering the party away from the iceberg before the 2024 national elections.
