Johannesburg – The ANC Women's League – staunch supporters of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma – will support Cyril Ramaphosa should he be elected to lead the ANC, the league's president Bathabile Dlamini told News24 on Sunday morning.

She said ANC members are taught that when leadership is elected, "you subject yourself to that leadership".

"And also, if you stand for elections, you must be strong enough to be able to accept defeat," she said.

"But the comrade that wins the elections must embrace all other comrades in the organisation, because the ANC will always be there."

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"Therefore, we will support Comrade Cyril should he be elected."

Asked about Baleka Mbete throwing her weight behind Ramaphosa's campaign on Saturday night, Dlamini said the league was happy that three women allowed branches to nominate them for president.

She said if the ANCWL didn't come out to say they wanted a women president, this would not have happened.

"We have made history."

She said the league will not "chaperone" everyone to think along their lines in supporting Dlamini-Zuma, but they will work hard to deepen the organisation's understanding of power relations. 

"The ANC must try to deal with issues of gender, as it deals with race and class," she said.