Durban - The ANC provincial executive committee has been accused of conspiring to purge Premier Senzo Mchunu, several party MECs and mayors for their unhappiness with the outcome of the recent provincial conference.
The allegations were aired when a large crowd of pro-Mchunu party members marched to the ANC provincial office in Durban on Monday. They demanded that new party provincial chairman Sihle Zikalala and other members of the committee step down and there be a rerun of the provincial conference, which took place in Pietermaritzburg early this month. They claim the conference was rigged and listed numerous “irregularities”.
Thousands of protesters braved scorching weather to march for almost three hours from King Dinuzulu Park in Durban down Pixley ka Seme (West) Street to the ANC’s provincial offices near the ICC. Although some businesses were closed, no looting was reported.
Protest leader Sthenjwa Nyawose, an eThekwini councillor, read a memorandum containing allegations that the executive committee was conspiring to get rid of Mchunu, Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu, Agriculture and Rural Development MEC Cyril Xaba, Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo, Education MEC Peggy Nkonyeni, Arts, Culture, Sport and Recreation MEC Ntombikayise Sibhidla-Saphetha and Finance MEC Belinda Scott.
They alleged that the provincial executive had a fallout with those MECs because they did not support Zikalala’s move to replace Mchunu as the new chairman in the province.
“We are aware that there is a plan to remove comrades from the provincial cabinet.”
However, provincial secretary Super Zuma denied the existence of a plot.
Nyawose said the executive had accused Mchunu of being behind appeals against the provincial conference.
“We want to make it categorically clear that these appeals are coming from branches of the ANC which sent delegates to the conference. Mchunu had nothing to do with the appeals,” he said.
Nyawose also alleged there was a plot to remove five mayors from their positions. Among those were Chris Ndlela from the Msunduzi Municipality in Pietermaritzburg and Mbali Myeni from the uMngeni Municipality in Howick. He said several regions and their political organisation had been targeted for disbandment.
President Jacob Zuma was not spared from the insults as he was accused of colluding with the new executive to oust Mchunu, and pave the way for his former wife, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, to be elected new party president in 2017.
Insults were hurled at Super Zuma and his deputy, Mluleki Ndobe, as they waited in front of the ANC provincial office to accept the memorandum. After reading it, Nyawose said he would fax it to ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe at Luthuli House.
He said Mantashe had told him a commission would be established to investigate allegations of irregularities during the conference.
“While we are waiting for the commission to start investigating, we want the national executive to disband the provincial executive, and appoint a provincial task team to run the provincial office.
“We are going to make sure that we disturb every meeting of this provincial executive committee, and we are going to stage sit-ins at the provincial office and other regional offices.”
Super Zuma said they would not allow protesters to disturb meetings.
“We are going to hold our meetings and no one will disturb them.”
Denying allegations of attempts to purge Mchunu and the MECs, he said: “We have not even looked at reshuffling the cabinet. Those are internal matters which we would deal with after consultation.”
The Mercury