Durban - Ailing Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi has been re-elected NFP president during a disputed conference in Ulundi, Zululand, which ran parallel with another held in Qwaqwa, Free State, with the aim of elected business tycoon Philani Mavundla as the new leader.
According to the NFP MP Munzoor Shaik-Emam, Canaan Mdletshe, who was kaMagwaza-Msibi’s spokesperson when she was the deputy minister of science and technology, was elected new secretary-general in a conference on Thursday night.
Emam said kaMagwaza-Msibi was elected unopposed despite the fact that she had earlier issued an instruction that both conferences should be cancelled.
“The president had called us last night (Thursday) members of the interim national executive committee (Inec) to a lodge in Ulundi this morning (on Friday) to confirm the cancellation of the conferences.
“We waited for her until 1 pm and she did not attend the meeting, and we then heard that she was elected, and that she had attended the conference,” said Shaikh-Emam.
Shaikh-Emam said he had personally passed on kaMagwaza-Msibi’s instruction that the conferences should be cancelled.
“The one in Qwaqwa did not continue. But she (kaMagwaza-Msibi) was elected unopposed, and I am confused.
“What we are hearing is that Canaan Mdletshe was elected secretary-general and Jeremiah Mavundla (former Nongoma mayor) was elected deputy president,” said Shaikh-Emam.
Mdletshe, a former journalist, confirmed that he had been elected secretary-general.
He said kaMagwaza-Msibi was entitled to the second term as per NFP resolutions of the 2011 conference.
He denied that kaMagwaza-Msibi had given an instruction to cancel both conferences.
“She was not going to deliver a keynote addressed if she had called for the conference to be cancelled.
“In her speech she even congratulated the new leadership,” said Mdletshe, who said he delivered a speech on behalf of kaMagwaza-Msibi.
KwaZulu-Natal provincial chairperson Vikizitha Mlotshwa said he would approach the court to overturn kaMagwaza-Msibi’s election.
“Those who organised the Free State event responded at about 8 pm on Tuesday saying they were cancelling.
“Those in Ulundi did not respond, and they continued,” said Mlotshwa, who supported Mavundla to be elected a new president.