Mantashe: We'll sort out KZN PEC issue at NEC meeting

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe says the NEC may order KZN to withdraw the appeal.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe says the NEC may order KZN to withdraw the appeal.

Published Sep 29, 2017

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Johannesburg - The ANC top brass were on tenterhooks about future of its KwaZulu-Natal provincial leadership, that defied them and appealed a High Court order which declared them “unlawful and void”.

On September 22,  ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe made a commitment that the status of the KwaZulu-Natal ANC would be made public after they had obtained legal advice on the impact of the High Court’s ruling.

This came after a full bench of the Pietermaritzburg High Court had found that an ANC provincial conference held in 2015 and which elected Sihle Zikalala to replace former Premier Senzo Mchunu was unconstitutional and unlawful. After the ruling, the High Court gave the aggrieved party 15 days to appeal.

The ruling prompted intervention of the ANC top brass, and they instructed Zikalala’s leadership not to appeal, until advised otherwise by the ANC top six. Mantashe said they would only appeal if advised to do so by a senior counsel, but Zikalala defied party bosses.

Yesterday, Mantashe said Zikalala’s group lodged an appeal while exercising caution.

He also did not want to reveal the contents of the legal advice they had received, saying “the legal advice of the senior counsel forms part of the KZN report to the national executive committee. It is the last item on the agenda. We do not want it to distract us from discussing other important matters,” Mantashe said.

He, however, said that the NEC would make a final decision on the KZN matter at conclusion of its NEC meeting tomorrow.

“The NEC might order KZN to withdraw the appeal,” he said.

Earlier during an NEC break, Zikalala appeared not bothered by an earlier threat to disband his leadership.

Mantashe had indicated that the NEC was considering to set up a provincial task team to look after the affairs of the disputed provincial leadership. He said the task team would be composed of a grouping from Zikalala and those who support Mchunu.

Yesterday, though, no comments were made about the task team which led to increasing speculation of a deepening crisis in the national leadership of the ANC. At the core of it, was their alleged failure to find a conciliatory resolution of the KZN matter.

The Independent on Saturday

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