Cape Town - The ANC has slammed DA leader Mmusi Maimane, saying that the governing party will not announce its list of premier candidates ahead of the 2019 elections.
This comes after Maimane, together with the DA’s Western Cape premier candidate Alan Winde, launched an attack on the governing party, challenging it to declare its candidates.
Maimane accused the ANC of wanting people “to blindly vote for them and then trust that they will somehow deploy a suitable cadre to the position of premier, should they win the province”.
“I’d like to present a challenge to the ANC today: come clean and name your candidates for premier for each of the provinces.
“With just over two weeks until the election, take the voters into your confidence and tell them exactly who they will be getting with a vote for the ANC. If you’re not ashamed of them, and if you don’t intend to sneak in crooks through the back door, make their names public,” said Maimane.
Maimane said it was important for voters to know who would be in crucial positions way before they voted for a political party. He said this would allow voters time to research and interrogate their candidates.
The DA has announced its list of premier candidates for the nine provinces, who are: Solly Msimanga, Alan Winde, Andrew Louw, Nqaba Bhanga, Jane Sithole, Joe McGluwa, Zwakele Mncwango, Patricia Kopane and Jacques Smalle.
Maimane said the ANC wanted to announce its list after elections so they could impose “corrupt leaders” on voters.
“That’s how they have in the past inflicted totally corrupt premiers like Ace Magashule on the people of the Free State, or David Mabuza on the people of Mpumalanga, or Supra Mahumapelo on the people of the North-West. That’s why they hide their candidates until every vote has been cast,” said Maimane.
The DA candidates and Maimane signed the “Jobs Pledge”, a 10-point plan for creating jobs following the elections should the DA be in power.
The ANC hit back at Maimane, saying the party had always had its way of announcing premier candidates, and that it was not about to change.
ANC spokesperson Dakota Legoete said: “ You can check ANC’s resolution number 67 of 2007 in Polokwane, how we select premiers. Immediately after elections the PEC will sit down and recommend names in order of preference. These names will be presented to a national deployment committee and adopted by the NEC of the ANC.
“That is how we as the ANC do it and we have always done it this way.”