The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has reversed its decision to appoint former Durban Mayor, Zandile Gumede to the provincial legislature.
Mdumiseni Ntuli, ANC provincial secretary said Zandile Gumede and Mike Mabuyakhulu will not be stepping down but will be stepping aside pending their appearance before the provincial integrity commission.
“This means that she will still be an MPL officially. When the integrity commission presents its outcomes to us, we are going to implement their recommendations as outlines,” said Ntuli.
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In a media briefing on Friday, the ANC Provincial Executive Committee said they have resolved that members who are being investigated for corruption charges should not be in government office. Ntuli said the decision by the ANC PEC was a result of the “widespread condemnation” of the decision to appoint Gumede as an MPL.
Gumede is currently out on bail on charges of fraud and corruption relating to a R430 million Durban Solid Waste tender deal. In a move that drew ire from opposition parties, Gumede was sworn in last week to the KZN legislature as an ANC member. The ANC KZN defended its move at the time, saying that Gumede was innocent until proven guilty.
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Ntuli added, “Even if Gumede is found innocent in her case, she will still be subjected to the integrity commission.”
Sihle Zikalala, speaking in his capacity as the ANC provincial chairperson, said the decision to redeploy Gumede to the provincial legislature was taken last year shortly after she was recalled from her mayoral post.
“National and provincial ANC officials said it would be a good idea to deploy her in another field because if she remains as a councillor and we get another mayor, it creates an unhealthy situation,” he said.
“We could not do that at that time because the list is changed once (a year) so we submitted a list through the IEC (Independent Electoral Commission). Then after a year when we got the right to review the list we had to start from that decision.”
Zikalala said he understood the backlash the ANC faced from the public on its decision to redeploy Gumede, especially in the current climate where it seems like the party is not taking corruption seriously.
“The ability of the ANC to self-correct is important. We must show that we are listening to society. The ANC must listen and go through a process of self-renewal,” he said.
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