South Africa’s Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has pledged to support the newly elected leadership of the ruling African National Congress ushered into power at the party’s just-ended 55th National Elective Conference, APA learnt on Wednesday.
After a tumultuous couple of months, a conciliatory Dlamini-Zuma said the new ANC leadership should be supported for the good of the party and the country.
“The new leadership must embrace the losers and the losers must embrace the leadership,” Dlamini-Zuma said.
Dlamini-Zuma’s second attempt to run against President Cyril Ramaphosa for the ANC presidency ended in failure when she did not secure a single vote during the nomination period.
Two weeks ago she made a political blunder in parliament by defying a party decision not to vote for an independent parliamentary panel report accusing Ramaphosa of not telling the truth about a robbery at his farm.
She instead voted to impeach the president, and this did not please the top brass of the ANC who condemned the move.
Dlamini-Zuma said she was prepared to serve the party and government in any capacity, and hoped the party would unite ahead of the 2024 elections.
She was one of the five ANC lawmakers to vote in favour of proceeding with a full inquiry into the impeachment of the president in the House.
The impeachment vote failed due to the ANC’s overwhelming majority in parliament.
NM/jn/APA