The Gathering - by Daily Maverick

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ANC ELECTIVE CONFERENCE 2017

23rd November 2017, Sandton Convention Centre

Taking place three weeks before the ANC policy conference, all attention will be focused on what the outcome of this historic vote will be. This is really an event that will shape the future of South Africa. The Gathering 2017 will lift the veil off some of the issues facing the ANC in the run-up to the vote.

We have invited major players within the ANC, and all presidential hopefuls to speak during the one-day event. Attendees of this hugely consequential event can expect to see the leading contenders for the top job as well as ANC veterans, opposition party leaders, opinion-makers and top analysts who can help us make sense of it all.

Trust us, you won't want to miss this one.

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The Speakers

Pravin Gordhan

Pravin Gordhan is a Member of Parliament representing the ANC and a former Minister of Finance, a position in which he served twice, from 2009 – 2014 and 2015 – 2017. He has previously served as the Commissioner of SARS as well as the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

Bantu Holomisa

Major General (Retired) Bantu Holomisa co-founded the United Democratic Movement (UDM) in 1997 and currently serves as its President. In 1999 he was elected to Parliament as a party representative of the UDM.

Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma

Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma is the former chairperson of the African Union Commission, serving from 2012 to 2017 as the organisation’s first female leader. Before her stint at the AU she held various positions in the cabinets of four post-liberation South African Presidents. Dr Dlamini Zuma is running for President of the ANC in 2017.

Mmusi Maimane

Mmusi Maimane is the Federal Leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. He has held positions both in DA party structures and in local legislature. Despite never having held elected executive office, Mr Maimane has stood as both a candidate for Mayor of Johannesburg (2011) and for Premier of Gauteng (2014). He ascended to his current role as party leader in 2015, succeeding former DA leader Helen Zille.

Julius Malema

Julius Malema is the Commander-in-Chief of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and a Member of Parliament. The EFF is currently the 3^rd largest political party in the country, holding 25 seats in the National Assembly, and has been a vociferous critic of both the ruling party and its president: Jacob Zuma. Before founding the EFF he served as president of the ANC Young League from 2008 to 2012.

Dr Zweli Mkhize

Dr Mkhize is the current Treasurer-General of the ANC, having served in this position since the Mangaung elective conference in 2012. A former medical doctor, Dr Mkhize returned from political exile in 1991 and has subsequently served in various roles in government, the ANC and larger society. Most notably he has served as the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal and as a former Chancellor of UKZN. He announced in September 2017 that he would accept nominations to run in the election for ANC President in the December conference.

Lindiwe Sisulu

Lindiwe Sisulu has been a constant feature of the post-apartheid governmental space, having served as a Member of Parliament since 1994 as well as serving in multiple cabinet positions. She is currently the Minister of Human Settlements since 2014, having previously held the portfolio from 2004 to 2009. In July, Sisulu announced her campaign to succeed Jacob Zuma as ANC President.

Sipho Pityana

Sipho Pityana is a businessman and civil society activist. Having served in positions in the ANC and the Mandela Cabinet, Mr Pityana entered the private sector in 2002 and has achieved notable success in his career. He sits on the boards of several companies; most notably perhaps, he serves as the chairman of AngloGold Ashanti. Recently he has been affiliated with the Save South Africa movement and is a vocal critic of President Jacob Zuma and the current leadership of his former party.

Dr Makhosi Khoza

Dr Khoza is a former ANC MP, previously serving as the Chairperson of the portfolio committee on public service and administration in Parliament. Dr Khoza resigned from the ANC in September 2017 to further the effort against corruption in South Africa, having been criticised by elements of the party for supporting the most recent motion of no confidence against President Jacob Zuma in August. She maintains that the party’s legitimacy has been fundamentally eroded by corrupt behaviours and practices.

Mavuso Msimang

Mavuso Msimang is an ANC Veteran, with roots in the party going back to the ANC in exile and Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) in the 1960s. Educated in Zambia and the United States, Msimang’s career has spanned the NGO space, the private sector and government. His previous work has focused on diverse areas including humanitarian aid, tourism and information technology among others. He has been outspoken on the issue of the ANC’s current state and its leadership.

Mzwanele Manyi

Mzwanele “Jimmy” Manyi is the current owner of media houses ANN7 and The New Age, companies that he acquired from the controversial Gupta family in 2017. Manyi’s experience includes over 20 years in business, including presently serving as the President of the Progressive Professionals Forum. Manyi’s involvement in government focused on communications as well as stints as the Director-General of the Department of Labour and as the Cabinet spokesperson.

Andrew Feinstein

Andrew Feinstein is a former ANC politician who famously resigned from Parliament in 2001 in protest over the party’s handling of the Arms Deal. Now a resident of the United Kingdom, Feinstein is a writer and analyst. His published works include After the Party: Corruption, the ANC and South Africa’s Uncertain Future (2009) and The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade (2011).

Dr Iraj Abedian

Dr Iraj Abedian is an economist, former academic and a South African businessman. As an economics professor, Dr Abedian spent many years at the University of Cape Town before becoming the Group Chief Economist of Standard Bank. He is a highly respected public policy, financial and economics commentator in both the professional and public worlds. Apart from his involvement in numerous company boards and private equity, he is also the CEO of Pan African Investment & Research Services.

Prof Nomboniso Gasa

Nomboniso Gasa is Adjunct Professor at School of Public Law at the University of Cape Town and a Senior Research Associate at UCT. Her work focussed on Land, Politics, Gender and Cultural issues. Prof. Gasa has a long history in politics and women’s rights activism extending before the dawn of democracy in South Africa. She has published widely, in newspapers & academic journals.