Details: Zuma allegedly set out to sabotage KZN conferences – report

Fingers point at Jacob Zuma as the main saboteur in the ANC KwaZulu-Natal conferences, both of which collapsed leading up to the scheduled proceedings this weekend.

According to the Sunday Times, ANC KZN leader Sihle Zikalala denied claims that he had met Zuma any time in the past three weeks in an alleged plot to reopen the fissures in the party’s KZN structures, reportedly being patched together by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

According to the Sunday paper’s sources, on Wednesday Zuma did not just speak at the Congress of South African Students (Cosas) youth month event in Durban, suggesting an “out of the box” plan to regain the ANC’s two-thirds majority; Zuma is also said to have met some of his loyal supporters, Zikalala, eThekwini chairperson Zandile Gumede and Moses Mabhida regional chairperson Mthandeni Dlungwane.

The purpose of this meeting was supposedly for Zuma to instruct his backers to ditch the settlement deal proposed to foster unity in the provincial structure.

Zikalala and the regional structures aligned with him were thereafter informed that the settlement deal was no longer on the agenda.

After a faction in the provincial ANC filed a successful court interdict to stop the conference, a “consultative” conference was planned, but that also sank when pro-Zuma delegates on Friday night heckled ANC national chairperson Mantashe. The conference was called off on Saturday morning. This ensured the settlement deal would not fall through.

Watch Friday night’s heckles:

This deal reportedly proposes that the KZN ANC conference pick candidates from each faction, similar to the Nasrec national conference in December that saw Ramaphosa ascend to the top of the ANC while having as his deputy David Mabuza – thought to be a Zuma supporter.

According to the Sunday Times, the list proposes that Zikalala be elected provincial chairperson, Ramaphosa supporter Mike Mabuyakhulu be elected deputy chairperson and former provincial spokesperson Mdumiseni Ntuli as provincial secretary.

But that was a hard sell for Jacob Zuma, who is invested in the reappointment of his supporter, Super Zuma, as the provincial secretary, and not Ntuli.

READ MORE | What we know so far: Super Zuma vs Ntuli factions at centre of KZN conference drama

Super Zuma was the secretary until the provincial executive committee (PEC) was disbanded last year after the court ruled its inception unlawful.

The collapse of the conferences effectively reversed Ramaphosa’s reported efforts to unite the factions, efforts that are said to have been growing successful – until the chaos that wrecked the conferences.

ALSO READ: Mantashe and co call off consultative conference after overwhelming heckles

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