Durban - With the much anticipated elective provincial conference a month away and facing the prospect of losing the province in 2024, ANC regions in KwaZulu-Natal have turned to the governing party’s former leader, Jacob Zuma, for guidance.
On Tuesday the party leaders of the province’s 11 regions and provincial leaders of the women’s league and youth league trekked to Nkandla to meet Zuma.
Emerging out of a closed-door meeting that lasted about five hours, the leaders, through Siphile Mdaka, the chairperson of the ANC in the Nokuhamba Nyawo (formerly Far North) region and Zamokwakhe Nxumalo, the chairperson of the ANC in the Harry Gwala region, said their meeting was centred on three things:
• Seeking wisdom and guidance.
• Zuma helping them to reclaim lost ground.
• Ensuring the provincial conference (July 15-17) is held in a conducive environment.
All the regions were represented and chief among the leaders were former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede and Musa Cebekhulu of the Musa Dladla region.
They each lead regions that have been firmly behind Zuma as he battles the judiciary.
Mdaka and Nxumalo denied that Zuma had a view regarding who should lead the province.
“We never discussed any slates, by the way, we only discussed principles, we were seeking wisdom as I have said. So, no name was mentioned. By the way, even our approach is not to discuss names but to do a clear analysis of the material conditions in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in particular but as well as at the national level,” Mdaka said.
“This was a courtesy visit and we were just seeking wisdom on the national discourse,” he said.
Echoing Mdaka, Nxumalo said there were no slates because they were “united as KZN”, including the leagues: “The view that says we were discussing a certain slate is not true because we are all together here. If it was a few regions, you would say maybe those regions who are not here they are belonging to a certain slate. We are all together.”
The regional leaders included Ntuthuko Mahlaba, chairperson of the Mbuso Kubheka region (formerly eMalahleni) and S’bu Mhlongo, chairperson of the Mzala Nxumalo region. They both backed Cyril Ramaphosa for the ANC presidency in 2017 and refused to be drawn into the Farmgate scandal, saying the matter was being dealt with at a national level.
That was in reference to the fact that Ramaphosa had volunteered to appear before the party’s national integrity commission to clear his name.
Daily News