rumours that he was a philanderer and asked Zuma to intervene. Mbeki's relationship with Zuma also declined, and in 2001 Zuma announced publicly that he had no presidential ambitions, reportedly because he was asked to by the NEC. Historian Tom Lodge has interpreted these and other public spats as efforts by Mbeki loyalists to defend him against potential challengers at the 2002 conference. By 2002, Mbeki's relationship with the ANC's Tripartite Alliance partners, the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), had become highly (and publicly) acrimonious, particularly due to disputes over his neoliberal economic policies. Although this acrimony did not translate into open conflict at the conference, it did result in some of the conference's most tense and memorable moments. There was "lively debate" over resolutions supporting Black Economic Empowerment and the developmental role of "the emergent black capitalist class." The resolutions passed, with some opposition expressed by the unions and none expressed by the SACP. In his closing address, Mbeki attacked what he called "ultra-leftists" who attempted to sow division and factionalism in the ANC. He threatened them with "stern action" for having distributed at the conference so-called special lists of their preferred NEC nominees. Leadership election The conference appointed the following individuals to the ANC's "Top Six" positions: President: Thabo Mbeki Deputy President: Jacob Zuma Secretary General: Kgalema Motlanthe Deputy Secretary General: Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele National Chairperson: Terror Lekota Treasurer General: Mendi Msimang In 2001, there had been rumours that a group within the ANC might try to unseat Mbeki, perhaps with Zuma or Joel Netshitenzhe as the challenging candidate. There had also been rumours that some provinces planned to support Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma for the chairmanship, that certain groups planned to support Lekota for the deputy presidency, and that other leftist groups planned to retract their support for Motlanthe. However, ultimately, none of the positions were contested. The provinces had only nominated incumbents of the Top Six, and no nominations were proposed from the floor of the conference. Mthembi-Mahanyele was appointed unopposed as Deputy Secretary General when the incumbent, Thenjiwe Mtintso, declined a second term on the grounds of ill health; there were no other changes to the composition of the Top Six between 1997 and 2007. Election of the National Executive Committee The additional 60 members of the NEC were elected from a very short list of 71 nominees, 36