Durban - KwaZulu-Natal ANC chairperson Sihle Zikalala is reportedly under pressure from President Jacob Zuma to drum up support for Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to be the next president, according to highly placed sources within the ANC.
Zikalala, however, seems to be facing upheaval in winning the hearts of the ANC regions as the province remains deeply divided on the issue..
Zikalala was reported to have been summoned by Zuma to his Nkandla homestead and questioned on the province’s silence on pronouncing on Dlamini Zuma when the provincial ANC Youth League had already done so.
This is despite the fact that the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) had banned its structures last month from engaging in its succession debate before it officially opened the process.
“We all know that Zikalala, Super Zuma (ANC provincial secretary) and provincial spokesperson Mdumiseni Ntuli were called to Nkandla where Zuma questioned Zikalala about the province’s silence on Nkosazana,” said the source.
Both Ntuli and Super Zuma have denied that they were summoned to Nkandla.
The source said the three went to Nkandla last month.
The source said Zikalala told Zuma that it was difficult because Dlamini Zuma’s name “does not fly among branches”.
Zuma told Zikalala that he should make Nkosazana’s name fly because he (Zikalala) also did not have support prior to the provincial congress but he (Zuma) rallied behind him until he defeated Senzo Mchunu.
“Zuma told Zikalala to go do the work that is expected of him,” said the source.
Three other sources confirmed the story of Zikalala’s visit to Nkandla.
One of them is in the ANC’s Inkosi Bhambatha Region while the two are in eThekwini Region.
They all requested to remain anonymous in fear of being reprimanded.
When approached for comment on behalf of Zuma, ANC national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa declined to comment saying “talk to them, talk to them.”