Johannesburg - The resignation of KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala has paved the way for the province to make history and honour the role women have played in society and in the liberation struggle.
And there is no better time for it to occur than August, a month where the nation honours the contribution of women to nation-building and the transformative agenda of South Africa.
The province's African National Congress (ANC) is set to elect a woman as premier following the provincial elective conference that ousted Sihle Zikalala last month.
The party has nominated three women, MEC for Finance Nomusa Dube-Ncube, ANC's MPLs Amanda Bani and Mbali Frazer, to lead the province.
Zikalala resigned on Friday following the first sitting of the ANC's newly- elected provincial executive committee (PEC) that resolved to oust him.
The meeting was a culmination of the recent 9th elective conference of the party, where Zikalala lost in his bid to be re-elected as provincial chairperson to the incumbent Siboniso Duma.
He was also left out of the PEC-the highest decision-making committee of the organisation, a clear indication that his time at the helm was over.
The party in the province said Zikalala offered the provincial executive committee (PEC) his resignation, which was accepted, and the move was communicated to national officials.
The province was advised to recommend three names to be shortlisted for the position.
The trio were interviewed at the ANC's headquarters Luthuli House in Johannesburg.
The successful candidate was expected to be voted in by the provincial legislature.
The ANC has a majority of members and will be expected to use that in the coming days to push that appointment.
Among the three, Dube-Ncube stands a better chance to become the first female premier in the province if the party were to go by experience in government and seniority.
Dube-Ncube, a former ANC Provincial Treasurer, is a seasoned campaigner who has served in various government structures in her career spanning over two decades. She cut her teeth in politics in the 90s and was elected the first speaker of eThekwini Municipality.
She returned to the legislature to serve as the ANC Chief Whip before being elected as the KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, and now MEC for Finance. She went out of the country to serve as an ambassador to the Chad Republic.
At the recent conference, Dube-Ncube had her hat in the ring and wanted to challenge for the position of chairperson. However, her campaign failed as she could not obtain enough branch nominations to contest for the position.
That could come back to haunt Dube-Ncube as she goes toe-to-toe with Bani and Frazer, who were part of the winning faction, the Talibans, which made a clean sweep at the conference.
Like the real Talibans of Afghanistan, the faction had vowed to take all the power by all means possible, which could cost Dube-Ncube the opportunity to lead.
Frazer is a long-standing ANC member in the provincial legislature. She has served and chaired various committees, including public works, transport, agriculture, and land reform.
Her career in politics spans over a decade, having started as a unionist when she was a teacher and member of Sadtu in her hometown, Estcourt. Frazer belongs to the dominating ANC faction, the Talibans, that achieved an overwhelming win.
Her inclusion in the PEC also received support from the ANC Women's League, where she once served as its spokesperson.
Bani is seemingly an underdog for the position, given her little experience in political leadership. She was elected as a provincial legislature member, chairing the sport and recreation committee after the 2019 general elections.
Bani's political backing came from various branches of eThekwini and the ANC Youth League. Before her appointment to the legislature, Bani was a senior official in eThekwini Municipality under the Parks, Recreation and Culture Unit.
She led the ANC student organisation Sasco as a branch secretary at the Durban University of Technology. She was also a chairperson of ANCYL in the eThekwini Region. Bani also belonged to the same ANC faction as Frazer, which elected her to the ANC PEC.
While Dube-Ncube was a front runner, political analysts said there might be surprises. Thabani Khumalo said Dube-Ncube's experience might threaten the Taliban faction as they want someone who will be able to execute their mandate.
"If she was experienced enough, she could have been elected as a chairperson, but it was the little-known Duma who won. So the same can happen here. But other than that, she stands a better chance than the other candidates," said Khumalo.
Professor Bheki Mngomezulu alluded to the fact that Dube-Ncube was a seasoned politician with vast experience as she had served in various portfolios. She said she could not be compared to the other candidates, saying she was a frontrunner for the top job.
"Bani was once a chairperson of the youth league in eThekwini, a legislature member, and a woman. She is qualified on that scale. She has also been embroiled in some corruption scandals that can count against her," Mgomezulu said.
"Frazer has very little leadership experience and is only recently in the leadership position. But it must be noted that the Hawks questioned Dube-Ncube before the conference, I just hope that the ANC will not pay much attention to it, but it is a cloud hanging over her head," Mngomezulu added.