The ANC's national executive committee will finalise its premier candidates at a meeting in Esselen Park on Thursday.

The party would lead in eight provinces ? Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape and Limpopo.

It was expected to gather at the Kempton Park venue at 2pm. A media briefing would follow, it said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the ANC in Gauteng recommended three people for the position of provincial premier, with its preferred candidate current premier and former finance MEC Paul Mashatile.

The other two candidates were deputy ANC chairperson in the province Nomvula Mokonyane and deputy provincial secretary Mandla Nkomfe.

The party had resolved at its Polokwane conference to ensure gender parity in appointing premiers.

Three names of preferred candidates were submitted by the provinces. The NEC would sift through these and decide on a premier for each province.