ANC ends Zandile Gumede’s hopes

THE national leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) has ended Zandile Gumede’s hopes of becoming a member of the party’s top five in KwaZulu-Natal.

This is despite eThekwini regional leadership’s insistence on nominating her for a top-five position in the Provincial Elective Conference.

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The National Executive Committee (NEC) member, Dakota Legoete, told the media, on the sideline of the conference at Durban’s Olive Convention Centre, that no member who is currently on a step-aside rule will accept the nomination for any position in the conference, adding that if that particular member does accept the nomination, he or she will be violating or undermining the NEC’s decision.

He said the NEC is a decision-making body in between conferences so it was within its right to amend the rule, adding that branches will have to challenge the decision at the National Conference in December if they feel so.

Gumede, with 20 other former and current party councillors, as well as eThekwini municipality officials, is facing corruption charges emanating from the City’s Solid Waste tender worth around R400m.

Meanwhile, the opening of the Provincial ANC’s Elective Conference was delayed on Friday after the issue of credentials was raised. The credentials were adopted after 13:00 on Saturday.

A group of members from Ward 91 in Mpumalanga, west of Durban, picketed outside the venue, demanding the removal of six delegates from their ward whom they claimed were fraudulently selected to represent the ward.