Durban - The ANC’s KwaZulu-Natal leadership and zonal structures were providing leadership to its eThekwini region while it battles to resolve its problems.
“The zonal structures working with the provincial leadership are the ones that give leadership to the region until a conference is reconvened,” provincial secretary Sihle Zikalala said on Monday.
This comes after the regional elective conference failed to successfully sit for the fourth time when it was adjourned after disruptions by a faction of delegates in Durban on Saturday.
Zikalala was confident that the problems experienced in the ANC’s biggest region would be “solved within a week”.
Former regional treasurer Zandile Gumede was set to contest the position of regional chairperson against eThekwini mayor James Nxumalo. This was after Nxumalo won the last conference, which was subsequently nullified when complaints were lodged by disgruntled branches.
Saturday’s conference was adjourned after unruly delegates aligned to Gumede demanded the inclusion of delegates from Ward 37, who had been excluded after the branch did not hold a properly constituted meeting.
The branch executive had apparently appointed the delegates to attend the conference against the constitutional provisions of the party.
The conference subsequently acceded to the inclusion of the Ward 37 delegates, however the faction raised other grievances which included concerns over the provincial task team that assisted with conference preparations.
Zikalala also said the ANC would give itself time to attend to the grievances that had been raised.
“The decision to adjourn was meant to augment the unity of the organisation. We could have forced ourselves to proceed, but that would have led to a situation where you emerge with a region that is not united,” he said.
The ANC national leadership, thorough its representative Joe Phaahla, say they support the decision by the province to adjourn the conference.
“We will work with them to make sure we get a properly, decent and respectful conference of eThekwini,” he said at the weekend.
Daily News