Deposed Mchunu not out in the cold

Excited supporters carry newly elected ANC provincial chairman, Sihle Zikalala, on their shoulders after he defeated previous chairman and KZN premier, Senzo Mchunu, in the leadership election. Photo: Motshwari Mofokeng

Excited supporters carry newly elected ANC provincial chairman, Sihle Zikalala, on their shoulders after he defeated previous chairman and KZN premier, Senzo Mchunu, in the leadership election. Photo: Motshwari Mofokeng

Published Nov 9, 2015

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Durban - Premier Senzo Mchunu’s job as the head of the KwaZulu-Natal administration seems to be safe for the time being – if the newly-elected leaders are to be believed.

On Sunday, the leaders issued the assurance that Mchunu would not be removed from the helm of the provincial administration as questions were asked about his future after the party elected a new provincial leader, Sihle Zikalala.

“We have full confidence in the premier,” Zikalala told journalists at a press conference as he answered questions over the future of the premier.

“There is not going to be a (cabinet) reshuffle. We had a conference of the ANC,” Zikalala said, while trying to allay fears of changes in the Mchunu-led cabinet, including his recall.

Zikalala was named as the new leader after he edged Mchunu by 105 votes at the conference held in Pietermaritzburg.

Out of the total 1 459 ballots cast, Zikalala garnered 780 and Mchunu 675, while four were recorded as spoilt.

His deputy, Willies Mchunu, was re-elected after winning with 795 votes over Peggy Nkonyeni, who polled 652.

New secretary Supa Zuma won with 791 votes over Nhlakanipho Ntombela, who received 655 ballots.

Zuma’s deputy, Mluleki Ndobe, won with 810 votes over Mbali Myeni, who managed only 638 votes, while Nomusa Dube-Ncube became treasurer when she polled 782 votes over Mike Mabuyakhulu’s 653.

Zikalala’s sentiments on the future of the premier were echoed by his deputy, Willies Mchunu.

“The conference has nothing to do with premiership. Premiers are appointed by the president,” he said.

Even the national leadership had over the weekend entered the fray on the issue of Mchunu’s future, as the question of “two centres of power” has been persistently asked.

Deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte told the media on Saturday that in the event Zikalala was elected chairman, the ANC would handle it in the manner it had done in Gauteng and Northern Cape.

“It could be difficult, but we don’t anticipate it,” Duarte said before the voting for leaders took place.

She, however, pointed it out that the question of “two centres of power” was working in Gauteng.

“Whoever is the premier is part of the executive committee as ex-officio members. I don’t anticipate that problem.”

But, as the newly-elected leadership sought to dismiss ideas of the removal of the serving premier, they had yet to decide on what to do with Zikalala, who is jobless and would need to earn a salary as provincial leader.

Until his election as chairman, Zikalala had held a full-time and paying post as provincial secretary.

His previous job is now occupied by Zuma, who has to resign as an MPL in the KZN legislature, creating a vacancy which will be up for grabs.

But, the question of how the party ensures that Zikalala has a paying job can potentially put a spanner in the works.

When this question was posed to the new leadership, Willies Mchunu was quick to point it out that the ANC took responsibility for what its leaders should do.

“The ANC looks at skills of that individual and also suggests where to look for a job. Where the ANC has authority, it suggests processes.”

Mchunu also said if the ANC wanted him to move to the legislature, Zikalala would have his view heard.

Meanwhile, contrary to assertions by the ANC leadership, the ANC provincial weekend conference had everything to do with the succession debate within the ANC when President Jacob Zuma stepped down in 2017.

This was the view of a KZN-based Protas Madlala.

“They may deny it, but they are involved,” Madlala said in an interview on the conference.

In the build-up to the elective conference, newly-elected chairman Sihle Zikalala has been aligned with the “premier league”, which has backed the election of AU chairwoman, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, for the ANC presidency.

Ousted chairman and current premier, Senzo Mchunu, has been linked to the camp that is believed to want deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa to succeed Zuma and secretary-general Gwede Mantashe to be elevated as his deputy.

But, views of the conference as part of the leadership succession had been rejected by the ruling party.

In his closing address to the conference, Zikalala said the gathering should not be viewed as a mirror of any future ANC conferences.

“The ANC in KZN province held its own conference. This is not about the 2017 national conference,” he said.

“The outcome of this provincial conference is about what we are going to be doing for our province,” Zikalala added.

Zikalala has described the election contest as having not produced any winner.

“There is no winner, it is the ANC that won. We must all be united behind the ANC,” he said when the results were announced.

He had emphasised the need for unity within the ranks of the ANC and wanted to rid it of factionalism.

“We should uproot faction in the organisation … We must reclaim and restore unity of movement at all levels. We commit to the principle of collective leadership,” Zikalala said.

But Madlala said the hotly-contested conference had made the ANC the biggest loser.

“Unity is lost because of intense infighting,” he said.

Madlala also said had the pair had the interest of the ANC at heart, one should have withdrawn from the contest.

He also said while Mchunu may be retained as premier, “undercurrents” would show up.

“It is to continue. The battle is not over, despite Zuma calling for unity.”

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