Delegates to the African National Congress's (ANC's) Eastern Cape elections list conference at the East London city hall on Sunday were urged to select "incorruptible" candidates for both the provincial and national lists.

ANC Eastern Cape chairperson Oscar Mabuyane said the party needed cadres who would not see government as a vehicle for wealth accumulation and personal gain. "Deployment is different from your ordinary employment. With it carries a greater responsibility than selling your labour in order to survive. It is a call to serve, and serve without expectation of material and personal benefit," he said.

About 500 delegates from ANC branches and members of the provincial executive committee gathered to select members who will be deployed to the National Assembly, National Council of Provinces, and provincial legislature. The list of candidates has been drawn from branch nominations during branch general meetings throughout the province from August to the end of November. 

ANC provincial secretary Lulama Ngcukayitobi said all individuals would undergo a screening process to eliminate anyone not suitable for public office. 

Mabuyane urged delegates to use the ANC's "through the eye of a needle document" which outlined the qualities of ANC leaders for public office. "This needle obliges us to select a leadership collective that understands the importance of constructive criticism and self-criticism, in that they must have the capacity and humility to honestly review their work critically and correct the weaknesses," he said.