Durban — The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has defended its decision to nominate some of president Cyril Ramaphosa’s former backers at the 54th conference in Nasrec in 2017, for leadership of the party.
The provincial leadership has endorsed Dr Zweli Mkhize for the presidential position, and acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile for the deputy president’s position. This is despite former president Jacob Zuma’s unhappiness over the province’s line-up which he says is made up of backers of Ramaphosa in 2017, who Zuma accuses of having bought votes.
For the national chairperson, the KZN leadership wants current Limpopo chairperson and Premier Stanley Mathabatha and has opted for former Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle for the secretary-general post.
For the deputy secretary position, the province said it would back former Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane, and in the treasurer’s position, the party said it was open to persuasion but maintained that it will have to be a woman.
All the people in the line-up, except Mokonyane, are known to have helped Ramaphosa to narrowly defeat Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma for the president’s position in 2017.
In his three-page statement, Zuma said it was strange that the majority of people who were being talked about for leadership positions as the party prepares for its 55th conference were ones who had supported Ramaphosa in 2017.
Zuma blamed comrades for having short memories, saying in the past few years they had been overwhelmed by a lust for money and did not vote with their conscience, but were guided by greed when voting for party president.
In response, provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo said that, like any other party member, the former president should go to his branch and nominate whichever candidate he wanted.
Mtolo said there had been many political realignments of people who were in different line-ups since 2017. He argued that if they remained with the same line-up that they supported in 2017, they would have been accused of institutionalising factions.
“We are not fixated on any position or particular line-up. People know that in 2018 here in our province those of us who supported Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma teamed up with those who backed Ramaphosa and we elected one leadership so a lot of things have changed since 2017,” said Mtolo.
In the conference held in 2018 at the Durban University of Technology, Mike Mabuyakhulu, who was known to have supported Ramaphosa, was elected deputy chairperson alongside Sihle Zikalala who had backed Dlamini Zuma.
Mtolo also defended the province’s announcement on its preferred candidates while branches were still busy nominating candidates. He said they understood that there would be branches which would nominate different candidates to the ones announced by the province, but the overwhelming majority would back the provincial selection.
The provincial secretary was quick to add that the positions were not cast in stone, but open to persuasion by various provinces since it was a national conference.
On the former president’s availability for the top six position as indicated in his statement, the provincial leadership said it would not comment. Mtolo also dismissed concerns that banking on one “horse” would jeopardise the province’s chances of getting a seat in the top six, saying the party constitution had no clause that said at every conference a province must have a seat in the top six.
Daily News