SIBONISO Duma, the leader of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal will attend the party’s 113th January 8 birthday celebrations in the Khayelitsha Stadium, Cape Town, on Saturday, uncertain about the future of the provincial structure.
Duma and the rest of his provincial executive committee await a ruling from the ANC’s national leadership, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, later this month, this after KZN’s poor 2024 elections performance.
The party was toppled as the governing party in KZN, dipping drastically from having gained 54% of the votes in 2019 elections to a meagre 17% during May’s elections.
However, provincial party spokesperson Mafika Mndebele said the PEC were unfazed and up-beat despite many insiders saying the writing was on the wall for the KZN and Gauteng’s PEC.
Mndebele said: “The ANC KwaZulu-Natal is in high spirits ahead of the upcoming January 8 Statement and birthday celebrations of our glorious movement. Our structures and members remain energised, committed, and united in their dedication to the cause of the National Democratic Revolution.”
Asked about the mood within their structures amid the damning decision that loomed over the province's future, Mndebele said, “As the KZN leadership, our work remains informed not by fear or speculation but by unwavering dedication to the ANC’s values and the mission to transform South Africa for the better.”
“Regarding the disbandment issue, we will not comment on matters being handled by the NEC (National Executive Committee, the party’s highest authority between conferences).”
A PEC member in KZN, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the party did not want to drop the axe before the January 8 celebrations as it was likely to incense loyal backers of the KZN and Gauteng leadership structures at the event.
“They are (national leadership) playing a suave political game. They will decide after the event because they are mindful that disbanding the provincial structures could lead to chaos at the January 8 celebrations.”
In November, the NEC, summoned KZN’s leadership to a “compulsory” meeting in Boksburg, Gauteng, to account for the election losses in the province – once the heartland of the ANC.
However, after the meeting, the ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, told the media that the decision to “reconfigure” KZN and Gauteng provinces’ structures were yet to be taken.
The ANC NEC decided in August that all its provinces that dipped below the 40% mark during the elections (KZN and Gauteng) will be held accountable and possibly be disbanded.
The ANC leadership – including Duma – have repeatedly attributed its dramatic fall from the political throne to the meteoric rise of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) led by Jacob Zuma, who raked in 45% of the votes in KZN. The MKP landed the most votes in KZN after contesting elections for the first time since its formation in December 2023.
Zuma is the former State and ANC president.
He was expelled from the ANC in November for endorsing and campaigning for the MKP.
Mndebele said the province had not organised buses to ferry its rank-and-file to Cape Town. However, he said: “Many of our rank-and-file members have shown incredible enthusiasm and are financing their travel, with various groups already having made bookings to ensure their presence at this historic event. The PEC will also be represented in Cape Town to partake in the celebrations.”
The current provincial ANC leadership was elected during the party’s elective conference in 2022, where Duma defeated former chairperson Sihle Zikalala, who ran for re-election.
Meanwhile, the ANC chose the 2000-seater Khayelitsha Stadium – which was seen as a massive downscaling by the party, having previously hosted its mega celebration in bigger-capacity stadiums, including the 43,000-seater Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga in 2024.
The ANC was formed on January 8, 1912 in Bloemfontein, with the late Dr John Langalibalele Dube from Inanda, north of Durban, becoming its first president.
Durban-based political analyst Mpumelelo Zikalala said: “Whether the ANC reconfigures or not, they have misdiagnosed the problem. The ANC has a problem of leadership. The core challenge for the ANC is that it is operating within a contested political terrain with a changing political landscape.”
He added: Because the ANC has been in power for 30 years, the demands of the people far outweigh what they have offered them. They have lost the goodwill of the people, which is why they achieved 40% nationally.”
WhatsApp your views on this story at 071 485 7995.
Daily News