The South African National Congress (ANC) has announced its premier candidates for the 2024 provincial elections, including Panyaza Lesufi as Gauteng premier and Phophi Ramathuba as the ANC premier candidate in Limpopo. Zamani Saul will be retained in the Northern Cape with minority parties after failing to win an outright majority. Oscar Mabuyane will return to power in the Eastern Cape.
The ANC has also chosen to install Maqueen Letsoha-Mathae as the Free State premier instead of Mxolisi Dukwana, who was expected to be retained. Letsoha-Mathae is becoming popular in ANC circles after being elected as women's league treasurer-general last year. In Mpumalanga, Mandla Ndlovu has been appointed as premier after the party decided to snub its national executive committee member Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane.
The ANC is likely to appoint female premiers in the three provinces where the party received a significant chunk of votes in the 2024 provincial elections. In Mpumalanga, the party will easily install Ndlovu, while Lazarus "Lazzy" Mokgosi will be installed in the North West.
After a dismal performance in KwaZulu-Natal, the ANC has decided not to field a premier candidate. Based on the agreement reached in government of national unity talks, the ANC is likely to support IFP premier candidate Thami Ntuli, with the DA and possibly the NFP.
The interview process by ANC officials led by President Cyril Ramaphosa was overseen by the party's electoral committee led by Kgalema Motlanthe. The committee was impressed by the impartiality shown by the national officials during the interviews, which included questions on ethical and capable leadership, the six priorities in the ANC 2024 election manifesto, and the quality of nominees.
