PICS: Ramaphosa’s KwaZulu-Natal visit seen as bid to consolidate ANC support

Ramaphosa made the comments at the gravesite of the ANC’s founding president, John Langalibalele Dube, at Ohlange Institute in Inanda.

Tribute was also paid at the gravesites of former ANC presidents Josiah Gumede, Pixley Seme and Albert Luthuli.

“We do not want a divided ANC we will be working day and night to forge unity in KZN. We must unite this province and make sure we move to a provincial conference that is going to unite the province,” said Ramaphosa.

KZN is the ANC’s biggest province in terms of supporter numbers, and Ramaphosa reminded members and leaders that forging unity was crucial prior to the 2019 general elections. “We can’t go to 2019 divided; the work of unity here in KZN must start as soon as possible. We must rid ourselves of factionalism... We must have one group that is united that will serve the ANC,” he said.

The Provincial Executive Committe (PEC) led by Sihle Zikalala has been locked in a bitter court battle with former chairman Senzo Mchunu’s supporters. Mchunu lost the provincial chairmanship to Zikalala in 2015. Last September the Pietermaritzburg High Court ruled the PEC null and void.

Mdumiseni Ntuli, ANC provincial spokesperson, said he was not aware of any decision by the ANC structure that the provincial conference had to be reconvened. “If the national leadership decides there must be a provincial conference, there will be a conference,” he said.

One of the chief applicants in the matter, Lawrence Dube, agreed with Ramaphosa.

“This is what we have been requesting. We need to go to conference to have a provincial leadership. We need a neutral structure, perhaps in the form of a task team, to prepare for that.”

Ramaphosa also called on the ANC eThekwini region, the biggest ANC region in the country, to “show good leadership and lead by example for all the regions in our country”.

The newly elected ANC leadership will focus on rooting out corruption, he said. “We will adopt a value system to root out corruption within our ranks. Corruption undermines the interest of our people as a whole. As we do this, we will be strengthening the ANC.”

The party would strengthen its core constituency through its branches, he added.

Meanwhile, the uMkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) on Monday warned that Jacob Zuma’s removal as head of state would cost the ANC votes in rural areas and divide the party.

Knives are out for Zuma, with his detractors calling for the NEC to recall him from the Union Buildings to bolster the party’s chances in the 2019 elections.

The push to oust Zuma forced ANC officials to visit KZN on Sunday in what was believed to be part of efforts to manage the backlash that could arise should Zuma be recalled.

MKMVA president Kebby Maphatsoe on Monday said while Zuma was no longer ANC president, he still enjoyed support from the party’s members and supporters.

“You may undermine Zuma, but if you remove him, many people in the rural areas will become angry and decide to not vote for the ANC in 2019.

“In the rural areas they love President Zuma a lot; it’s only in your suburbs here where you hear a lot of noise, because it’s a middle class. These people making noise in the NEC about Zuma, want the ANC to lose elections,” Maphatsoe said.

The ANC under Zuma had failed to properly analyse the implications of removing former president Thabo Mbeki when he was ousted in 2008, which saw the formation of Cope as a splinter group by those close to Mbeki, he said.

“We were angry and we did not analyse soberly, so are we going to have every five years parts of the ANC splitting?

“We can’t have that, and that is why we are calling on all those NEC comrades to really consider the conference’s ­mandate to unite the ANC,” Maphatsoe said.

The ANC Top Six will meet on Tuesday to finalise the agenda for tomorrow’s NEC meeting where they will discuss preparations for the January 8 statement, to be delivered by Ramaphosa in East London on Saturday, where the party will be holding its 106th anniversary celebrations.

ANC NEC member Fikile Mbalula confirmed that Zuma’s fate was on the agenda of tomorrow’s much-anticipated meeting. MKMVA treasurer-general and Co-operative Governance Minister Des van Rooyen said the new NEC had no mandate to remove Zuma.

Daily News