Durban - The battle for the deputy chairperson and secretary of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal went down to the wire on Saturday with Mike Mabuyakhulu and Mdumiseni Ntuli pipping their rivals.
On Friday the party announced that Sihle Zikalala was elected unopposed to the position of chairperson and Nomusa-Dube Ncube becomes the party’s treasurer - she was also elected unopposed.
On Saturday, as party president Cyril Ramaphosa looked on, the ANC’s election officials announced that Mabuyakhulu who received 912 votes was the deputy chairperson. He received 96 more votes than the province's premier Willies Mchunu.
Ntuli defeated Super Zuma for the crucial position of secretary. There were extraordinary scenes at the conference venue - Durban University of Technology - as some delegates sat while others danced and celebrated the announcements.
The position of deputy secretary had three candidates; Mluleki Ndobe, Ukhahlamba regional secretary Sipho Hlomuka and MPL Bongi Sithole-Moloi with Hlomuka winning with 834 votes.
As the ANC KwaZulu-Natal provincial task team coordinator, Zikalala was chairperson of the 2015 provincial executive committee that was subsequently declared null and void by the Pietermaritzburg High Court. The provincial committee announced on Friday is aimed at uniting the rival factions in the province as the party desperately needs to prepare for next year’s elections.