Durban – Three days after the fiercely contested ANC eThekwini regional conference ended, the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is yet to publicly release the certified list of 20 REC (regional executive committee) members.
The Daily News has been reliably informed that the Thabani Nyawose slate was not accommodated on the REC list, meaning that the Zandile Gumede faction opted to completely keep them out of the regional leadership structure.
This also means that the faction is now keeping a tight grip on the region which is set to have the final say on who, between Nomusa Dube-Ncube and Sihle Zikalala, will lead the party in the province after its much-anticipated provincial conference billed for July this year.
Including the top five of Zandile Gumede (chairperson), Thembo Ntuli (deputy regional chairperson), Musa Nciki (regional secretary), Nkosenhle Madlala (deputy regional secretary) and Zoe Shabalala (treasurer), the decision-making regional structure elected 20 additional members to serve for a term of three years.
The losing Nyawose slate was made up of Thabani Nyawose, Mthunzi Dlamini, Bheki Ntuli, Thanduxolo Sabela and Ntokozo Sibiya.
Under normal circumstances, the REC members mainly become PR (proportional representative) councillors in the eThekwini metro.
It is from this same pool where the party chooses the mayor, deputy mayor, speaker and chairperson of exco committees.
Sources told the Daily News that while the list is not yet a public document, the Zandile Gumede faction was in no mood to reconcile.
“They were all kicked out, all of them. Not even Thabani Nyawose who is the current speaker of the eThekwini Municipality was accommodated in the REC,” said one of the sources.
It was widely expected that the Zandile Gumede faction was at least expected to extend an olive branch only to Nyawose by including him in the REC because he enjoys a cordial relationship with Gumede.
However, in the end, that was not the case, signalling that the battle lines are drawn and the winning faction wishes to run the region alone.
The now ex-convener of the region, Kwazi Mshengu, said the final list of REC members was submitted to the office of Mdumiseni Ntuli, the provincial secretary.
“The Elections Agency submitted the final list to the Provincial Secretary on Monday. I am sure all our focus has since been on responding to the disaster (KwaZulu-Natal floods). The Provincial Secretary has the list signed by the Elections Agency,” Mshengu, said when asked about the list by the Daily News.
The spokesperson of the ANC in the province, Nhlakanipho Ntombela, asked to be given time to check with Ntuli’s office regarding the release of the final list.
He said the delay could have been caused by the fact that the provincial office has to release the full list of the Harry Gwala region which also held its elective conference over the weekend.
Out of this conference, the Zamo Nxumalo slate which supports Dr Zweli Mkhize to be in the ANC's national top six, emerged victoriously.
sihle.mavuso@inl.co.za
Daily News