Supporters of former ANC Gauteng chairperson David Makhura have emerged as a potential lobby behind the party’s erstwhile KwaZulu-Natal secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli’s campaign to become the organisation’s secretary-general.
As branches of the party nominate leaders for the top six structure and the national executive committee, it has emerged that Gauteng has become the launchpad for Ntuli’s campaign to lead the governing party’s secretariat after he lost in his bid for a second term as KZN secretary to Bheki Mtolo.
Although Ntuli’s name has been bandied about in some branches of the party in his home province of KZN, it has come to light that President Cyril Ramaphosa and Makhura’s backers in Gauteng are the major force behind Ntuli in the run up to the party’s elective conference in December.
Ntuli has been spotted in Gauteng in recent times, confirming assertions that he is crisscrossing the country in a campaign to succeed suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule.
Most provincial executive committees (PECs) of the party have not yet nominated a candidate for the position.
A Gauteng PEC member said Ntuli is a shoo-in for the secretary-general position, which is effectively a CEO position.
“If the ANC still wants to lead society, Mdumiseni must be SG. He is more likely to get branch nominations from Gauteng than KZN. We are housing him here, rescuing him from the Taliban,” the leader said, adding that “Makhura wants to lead, but equally doesn’t mind Mdumiseni to be SG”.
It is believed that Gauteng is going to push for Makhura to be ANC secretary-general.
However, the nomination of ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile as the candidate for the deputy president of the party has made it difficult for Gauteng to lobby for Makhura to be secretary general as this would mean the province wants two powerful posts in the top six.
Sunday World understands that Ntuli’s chances of being pushed by KZN as a candidate for secretary-general have been scuppered by the emergence of former health minister Zweli Mkhize. It is going to be difficult for KZN to lobby for both Mkhize and Ntuli as president and secretary-general of the ANC, respectively.
Although he has been given the nod to be president of the ANC, Mkhize’s chances rest on whether he wins the support of the so-called radical economic transformation (RET) faction, which has a significant presence and influence in KZN.
It is understood that the RET grouping – which is aligned to Magashule and former president Jacob Zuma – believe that Mkhize should be left out in the cold as he did not support them while serving as a cabinet minister.
“The issue here is that some comrades believe that comrade Zweli is an opportunist. He had never declared that he was part of us (RET) until they had a fallout with CR’s (Ramaphosa’s) people after the Digital Vibes saga. He then wanted to regroup and mount a comeback using the RET campaign,” said one key leader of the RET
faction in KZN.
Nkosentsha Shezi, a key figure of the RET forces in KZN, said it is up to individual members to decide who they want to lead the ANC.
“We can’t stop branches from having their views and preferences. Individuals can also proclaim their wishlist in terms of the kind of leaders they want. But we are clear that the new leadership which will be elected in December, should push for radical economic transformation policies without compromise. We are also saying Ramaphosa must be voted out at all costs,” said Shezi.
He said they are happy with the competition that has emerged in KZN with Zuma and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma emerging as preferred leaders in branches to occupy the party’s top six.
If Dlamini-Zuma and Mkhize meet the required threshold, they will square off with Ramaphosa for the ANC’s presidency.
Zuma is vying for the party’s national chairperson post.
One of Mkhize’s lobbyists, Ntuthuko “Koloba” Ntshangase, told Sunday World that they do not rule out the possibility of courting other provinces and branches who did not vote for Mkhize.
“Comrades, whether RET or not, understand and accept that comrade Khabazela is the man to renew the ANC.
“He has served in all ranks of the party with distinction. His support also goes beyond KZN,” said Ntshangase.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
Sunday World
