Durban - Newly-elected ANC chairman Sihle Zikalala will take up the vacant position left by his successor at the KwaZulu-Natal legislature.
This comes after provincial secretary Super Zuma resigned as a member of the provincial legislature (MPL) last week to take up the full-time job of party provincial secretary.
While deputy chief whip Nontembeko Boyce said on Monday the ANC would only name Zuma’s replacement at the legislature after changes were made to the candidate list with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
ANC spokesman Mdumiseni Ntuli said Zikalala would take the vacant post.
“The view of the ANC is that the provincial secretary should take up the full-time position. It (resignation of Zuma) makes us deploy the chairman of the ANC to be part of the legislature,” Ntuli said.
Time would tell what role Zikalala would play in the government, beyond serving as an MPL, Ntuli said.
He also said they wanted Zikalala to take up the position soon, but his deployment would be guided by legislature processes.
The new development is in line with ANC Youth League expectations that Zikalala take the vacant legislature position.
ANCYL spokesman Mkhuseli Sondzaba said the matter came up for discussion at their executive committee meetings on Friday.
“We decided that we are to call on the ANC to deploy him to the legislature in the light of the vacancy created by the resignation of Super Zuma,” Sondzaba said.
He added that Zikalala’s deployment to the legislature should be such that it befits his position in the organisation.
“There is no specific portfolio, but it must be a portfolio where he can advance the resolutions of the conference,” he said.
Sondzaba indicated that Zikalala “can’t be in the back benches”, should he be sworn in as an MPL.
“The final decision rests with the ANC. We will welcome whatever decision of the ANC is made,” he said.
The Daily News reported on Monday that Premier Senzo Mchunu had complied with an ultimatum from the league to distance himself from disgruntled members who marched to ANC offices to challenge the outcome of the recent conference. According to Sondzaba, the league would support Mchunu so long as he did not contradict the ANC as the premier.
The turn of events comes as the decision is awaited on complaints made by disgruntled ANC members about alleged irregularities at the recent conference.
It also took place as the national working committee met on Monday to consider day-to-day affairs of the ruling party.
In what could be interpreted as a bold move by the new executive, they were to convene their first media briefing on Tuesday to discuss “a number of important developments in the province”.
Ntuli said among issues to feature at the briefing were the upcoming local government elections, preparations for the ANC eThekwini regional conference and the drought.
“The leadership will also reflect on issues concerning the ANC and its alliance partners that have dominated the public discourse,” he said.
Asked about convening the press conference while a decision on the complaints was awaited, Ntuli said they had not been updated by Luthuli House on the outcome.
“Our view is that we did all that was necessary,” he said, adding that the elective conference in Pietermaritzburg was credible and overseen by national leaders.
Daily News
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