Oscar Mabuyane named Eastern Cape premier candidate

ANC Eastern Cape provincial boss Oscar Mabuyane has been officially nominated as the province's premier.

This was revealed following a special ANC national executive committee meeting on Monday.

In a statement released by ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, Mabuyane was named Eastern Cape premier candidate, together with the nominees for six other provinces.

The premier candidate for North West would be announced following internal ANC discussions, he said.

The Western Cape is governed by the DA.

"In arriving at its decision, the NEC was guided by gender parity, unity and stability in ANC structures, youth and intergenerational mix, experience and integrity," Magashule said.

The NEC received three names for each province, recommended by the provincial executive committees.

Mabuyane was the top candidate following an interview process.

"The NEC agreed that in provinces where premiers are men, at least 60% of the provincial executive must be constituted by women," Magashule  said.

"There was consensus that in instances where the premier is a woman, there shall be at least a 50-50 representation in the provincial executive."

In a first for the ANC, Magashule announced that the speakers in all the provincial legislatures where the ANC governs would be women, irrespective of whether the premier was a man or a woman.

The ANC retained the Eastern Cape with 68.74% of the vote in Wednesday's election.

WATCH | Earlier this year, ANC Eastern Cape chairperson Oscar Mabuyane spoke to Siyamtanda Capa about the party’s offering ahead of the May 8 elections: