While speculation is rife that the ANC top brass had taken a softer approach into dissolving the KwaZulu-Natal provincial executive committee (PEC), instead opting to give the structure a fighting chance, Sunday World understands the party remains split on the matter.
According to insiders, the majority of members within the national working committee (NWC), which is charged with dealing with day-to-day operations of the party, want the PEC to be disbanded and an interim structure put in place.
“The general consensus within the committee is that the KZN PEC can no longer discharge its responsibility,” explained one NWC member not authorised to speak to the media.
“The mandate for them was clear, KZN needed to arrest the election decline. The province is our key province. If it declines and performs badly, our national outlook is also affected.”
At the heart of the province’s woes is a severe trashing the party has suffered at the hands of its sworn political rival, the IFP, in recent by-elections.
For 2023 alone, out of 10 by-elections the ANC contested it and only managed to retain two while suffering crashing defeats in several others.
The NWC together with the national executive committee had set out on a mission to meet regional structures to ascertain what could have led to the sudden electoral misfortunes.
Another NWC member told Sunday World that although it was common course that the PEC had performed below the accepted standard, the top seven leadership felt disbanding the province would put the ANC on a back foot leading up to the 2024 election.
“You also do not want a perception that KZN is being targeted because it held a contrary view leading up to the Nasrec conference.
“Remember CR [Cyril Ramaphosa] has spoken out sharply about dismantling factions as an important part of renewing and building,” said the insider, adding that their interactions with regions depicted a picture of intense squabbles and crippling divisions within regional executive committees, rendering some regions dysfunctional.
Despite enjoying popular support from other provinces, KwaZulu-Natal resolved not to endorse its former provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli leading up to the watershed Nasrec conference.
The move, which has since been dubbed within the ANC circles as a political suicide, saw the province for the second time not being represented in the party’s top seven.
Former premier Senzo Mchunu was also snubbed despite availing himself to be Ramaphosa’s deputy.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said national deployees will be dispatched to KwaZulu-Natal to strengthen the capacity of the PEC ahead of the crucial 2024 elections.
“In the next two weeks, the national leadership will give a line of march on how KZN moves going forward. The deployees will be stationed in the province,” he said.
The first test for the ruling party will be the upcoming May 24 by-election under eThekwini metro ward 73 in Chatsworth. The vacancy was created after former DA councillor Ronnie Pillay resigned to join the ANC.
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