Durban - The ANC in the Harry Gwala region has thrown its weight behind current Kokstad Local Municipality mayor Bheki Mtolo to become the ANC KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary after the 9th ANC KZN Provincial Conference scheduled for 14 to 15 July in Durban.
Mtolo, who hails from the region situated in the South West of KZN, has been nominated by the leadership of the ANC in the region to contest the position currently held by Mdumiseni Ntuli who is also in the running to return.
Qiniso Mnguni, ANC Harry Gwala region deputy secretary and spokesperson, said they had tasked the regional chairperson Zamo Nxumalo and the regional secretary Zenzele Msomi to engage other regions to influence them in supporting their stance on Mtolo taking the secretary’s position.
“That’s the position we have at this point, but you would obviously understand that we’re going to engage one another until the last day or until the day of the conference.
“At this point there is no conclusive lineup or perspective that is supported by Harry Gwala region.
“Obviously there are nominations that are taking place at this point, but the main person that we support is comrade Bheki Mtolo because he is coming from our region, but there are also other comrades from our region who we want to see forming part of the collective or being elected into the PEC collective. At this point that is the only position we have,” Mnguni said.
As the ANC’s conferences in various regions and provinces take place in the build up to the 55th ANC National Conference in December there are fears that the tight contestation for positions within the party could lead to the scourge of political killings that have ravaged the ANC in recent years.
Mnguni said that they were a bit worried and were trying to tread carefully because in the Harry Gwala region, particularly in the period around 2017, they had lost a number of their comrades through political killings.
The region is home to the slain former ANC Youth League secretary- general Sindiso Magaqa who was killed in 2017 in Umzimkhulu where he had exposed extensive corruption in the local municipality.
Mnguni said that what they had done differently this time around was to encourage unity among their comrades, encourage the spirit of comradeship and the spirit of unity and to engage everyone among their comrades.
He said that they wanted to discourage their comrades from taking political issues to heart which had the potential to end up with other comrades feeling that the only way for them to lead is through the elimination of other comrades.
“We have tried in Harry Gwala to say let’s find one another with all comrades, even the comrades who have contending views as we are fresh from our regional conference where there were comrades who were contesting positions of the ANC and at no point was there an exchange of harsh words.
“Our internal democracy is starting to mature nicely, so we are hoping that even other comrades in different regions can just accept that there will always be different views in politics and that does not mean that comrades must treat each other as enemies and start to eliminate each other,” Mnguni added.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE