Durban– Former eThekwini mayor and ANC MPL in the KZN legislature Zandile Gumede has distanced herself from an OR Tambo memorial lecture which is punting her as a guest speaker.
The event is billed to take place on Saturday in the northern Durban township of KwaMashu and it is seen as an effort by her supporters to keep her in the public eye.
According to the poster, which started circulating late on Tuesday and leaked to Independent Media before it was withdrawn from the public eye, Gumede was billed to speak with Musa Nciki.
Nciki is Gumede’s running mate (gunning for the position of regional secretary) ahead of the eThekwini ANC regional conference, which is likely to be held early next year.
However, the spokesperson of Gumede’s supporters, Mzomuhle Dube, and the ANC in KZN, said she was not going to speak as she was remaining on the sidelines until further notice.
In August, the party in the province had asked her to step aside until she had cleared her name as she was facing corruption charges before the Durban Commercial Crimes Court.
Gumede told Independent Media on Wednesday that no one even discussed the event with her before the poster was put out.
“I just wanna put it on record that I don’t know anything about the poster or about the programme (the OR Tambo lecture), I’m very clear about the ANC position.
’’No one has ever discussed anything with me,” Gumede said when asked about featuring in the event while effectively on suspension.
Dube said that while the event would take place in honour of Tambo, who was currently being celebrated and honoured by the ANC as October was the Struggle icon’s birth month (October 27, 1917), the inclusion of Gumede was an honest error on the part of the organisers.
“Well, this picture (the event’s poster) is legit, but with an error of including MaGumede (Zandile). The zonal (Curnick Ndlovu zone which includes Inanda) leadership was not aware that she is not supposed to to address or attend ANC programmes. So, she will not attend,” said Dube.
Spokesperson for the ANC in the province Nhlakanipho Ntombela said when they asked Gumede about her featuring in the event, she distanced herself.
“She is not (going to speak at the event) and she has distanced herself from this poster (the lecture). She said she is not aware of it and won’t be there,” Ntombela said.
Political Bureau