The ANC is gearing to swing the proverbial axe on its beleaguered provincial executive committee (PEC) in KwaZulu-Natal, and even if it is part of a coalition government.
The party will not field a premier candidate after scoring less than 20% of the provincial vote in the May 29 elections.
President Cyril Ramaphosa summoned KwaZulu-Natal ANC chairperson Siboniso Duma and provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo during the party’s special national executive committee meeting on Thursday in Boksburg, heightening expectations that Luthuli House was preparing to cut its losses wield the axe and appoint an interim structure to try and revive the party’s fortunes.
Following their spectacular electoral nosedive, the ANC in KZN was conspicuously absent when time came for provinces to submit three names for premier candidates to Luthuli House.
The party is not expected to submit any names following the disastrous electoral performance, Sunday World heard.
“They must take responsibility for the mess in KwaZulu-Natal and the exponential growth of the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party. The majority will support a proposed disbandment motion,” according to an NEC member present at the meeting on Thursday.
The MK Party of former President Jacob Zuma leads the province with 45% of the votes, followed by the IFP with 18%, the ANC with 17%, the DA with 13%, the EFF with 2% and the NFP with 0.5%.
Mafika Mndebele, a KwaZulu-Natal ANC spokesman, laughed off the calls for the KZN PEC disbandment: “There’s no such thing. It’s just not there,” he said before hanging up.
Another NEC member said Mtolo and Duma’s mistake started with how they hounded their predecessors, Mdumiseni Ntuli and Sihle Zikalala, out of the province. “They exacerbated the situation by adopting an anti-Zuma stance, a risky move considering they were taking on the battles of national leaders who were not their own. They were supposed to stay away from that one, and we would not be here,” said an NEC member.”
A NEC leader said Mtolo worsened the situation when he spoke in favour of the ANC/DA coalition at the Thursday NEC meeting. “We had never seen an ANC leader speak for the DA with such passion; we were all shocked. No one can save those comrades (the KZN leadership), and no one will defend their disbandment. It is as good as done and, in fact, was supposed to have been done a long time ago.”
Others have pointed to ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula’s presidential ambitions as a motive for protecting Mtolo and Duma’s stay at the helm leading up to the polls.
Fortunately for the ANC, Sunday World understands that the IFP appears divided on who to pick as a coalition partner to form the provincial government. Some IFP insiders are eyeing a partnership with the ANC, while others are leaning towards the MK Party.
Proponents of a coalition with the MK Party argue that the ANC should be taught a lesson and relegated to the opposition benches. The IFP is scheduled to make an announcement tomorrow on who it has picked to form a government with.
Among the factors that could influence the decision was that the DA in the province has been very loyal to the IFP, according to those favouring the blue party, citing as an example municipalities where the two parties co-govern.
A senior IFP leader suggested that partnering with Zuma’s MK Party would give their 2026 municipal election campaign a significant boost. “At the moment, the MK party is in pole position and loved by many KwaZulu-Natal people. We can leverage the opportunity as a launchpad for upcoming local government elections.”
The person continued: “Another factor in wanting to work with the MK Party is the premise that Umntwana (late founder Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi) had cordial relations with uNxamalala (Zuma). We think if he were alive and spearheading the talks, he would have chosen Zuma. But we are still weighing our options.”
Nhlamulo Ndhlela, MK Party spokesperson, said yesterday that the party planned to relegate the DA to backbenchers in KwaZulu-Natal, saying they are open to working with the IFP.
The DA thinks KwaZulu-Natal is the Western Cape, and we are going to relegate them to zero as backbenchers in the province,” Ndhlela said.
He said the party had not yet decided who would be their premier in KZN, but “it would be someone who would have a good relationship with the traditional leaders because most of our members live under chiefs and indunas whom they respect”.
