Durban - The ANC in KZN has started to prepare for the much-anticipated eThekwini regional conference where ousted former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede is expected to throw her hat into the ring.
Gumede has teamed up with businessman, Musa Nciki, who wants to be the regional secretary in her slate. They will be up against a slate led by Thabani Nyawose who is said to be working with former regional secretary, Bheki Ntuli who wants to return to his old position.
However, the process has been hampered by demands by one of the factions in the region to reconstitute the regional task team that was put in place in July. The faction that is sympathetic to Gumede alleges that the task team which is preparing for the conference is heavily staffed with her opponents, who are weakening her by stripping party members - perceived to be loyal to her - of their membership.
Speaking to Independent Media on Monday about the road map of the conference, ANC spokesperson in KZN Ricardo Mthembu said the issue of the task team will be urgently looked at in order to ensure that those with issues are accommodated.
But Mthembu said despite the task team concerns, the first phase of the road map which is membership renewal, has already been done and the next phase will be auditing the membership database.
“What is left now for us is to audit the membership and deal with queries arising from that. After queries they will be convening of BGMs (branches general meetings) to nominate delegates and (regional) leadership,” Mthembu said.
As the party is expecting to face angry communities ahead of the 2021 local government elections, Mthembu said they would like to ensure that all the outstanding regional conferences in the eThekwini (once the biggest region of the ANC in the country), Moses Mabhida, Lower South Coast and General Gizenga Mpanza (formerly KwaDukuza) regions are convened by December this year.
“Our intention as a province is to see to it that all the conference convened by December so that by January next year everything is done,” he added.
On top of these conferences, the party has to convene a regional general council in Okhahlamba to elect a regional chairperson after the departure of Sipho Hlomuka who is now the provincial deputy secretary.