ANC KZN investigates after supporters booed Zikalala and Ntuli at Zuma’s trial

The provincial leadership of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is expected to write to both the provincial secretaries of the ANC in Mpumalanga and Free State regarding the incident in which they were booed while trying to address supporters after former president Jacob Zuma’s court case on Monday.

A report probing the matter is expected to be released soon.

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Speaking to News24, KZN provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli said they were still investigating the matter as they believed that those who booed did not necessarily come from KZN but rather the Free State and Mpumalanga.

They deemed the booing as a “cheap” strategy that did not shake them.

Ntuli said they were aware members, who attended the court case, were “pretending” to pledge allegiance to Zuma.

He added if the report identified them, there would be a price to pay.

“Those who may be identified and be found to be coming from KwaZulu-Natal, we are going to have to have an engagement with them because we want to understand what could’ve really motivated them to act in the way that we saw yesterday [Monday].”

Ntuli said the party was brought into disrepute because the provincial leadership was booed, adding the party would leave no stone unturned to discipline those it identified.

This a day after the KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala and Ntuli were booed by ANC supporters after Zuma’s court case in Pietermaritzburg on Monday.

He said: “I think sometime before the end of the day or early tomorrow, we will be in the position and where exactly they come from because we wouldn’t have expected any kind of booing or any kind of nature in KwaZulu Natal; given the fact that structures of the movement are familiar with the work we do around the issues involving former president Zuma.”

Political motives

Ntuli added it was highly unlikely ANC supporters from KZN would have “cause such havoc”, adding it was concerning that those who were causing disruptions had a political motive and did not come from KZN.

“What is even more problematic for us as the provincial leadership, is the fact that there are people who are not coming from our province who are here supposedly to give support to [former] president Zuma.

“And upon their arrival in the province, seemingly they have internalised long before they arrive in KZN that they must come here and cause problems to the leadership of the province.”

He said the disturbance was well-planned and calculated, adding the supporters never had any experience of being led by Zikalala or himself, and it was a clear indication something was wrong.

Ntuli, however, did not disclose who could have been behind the disruptions.

Ntuli said: “To simply arrive in the province and start doing what they did is clearly a blatant indication of how these people were prepared long before they departed Mpumalanga and Free State. That when you arrived there, part of your mission is to make sure that you sow [division] in the provincial leadership so that you create an impression that the leadership of the province is losing control of the province.”

He said there was no truth in the statement that said the ANC had deserted Zuma.

“Now, if there are comrades who are mobilised on the basis of lies, we need to understand what kind of ANC do they belong to, which is driven by factions as opposed to the objective reality we are confronted with.”

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