KZN strongman Zikalala says a divided KZN must be united by this conference

ANC KZN provincial task team (PTT) coordinator Sihle Zikalala says delegates at the eighth ANC KZN elective conference should elect an inclusive leadership and note vote for slates.

Zikalala was speaking to the SABC on the second day of the conference that was officially opened by ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule on Thursday.

“We should consider ensuring that the leadership we elect is inclusive and not slates because if you elect slates you will leave the conference with some not happy with the outcome and feeling not represented at all,” Zikalala said.

The eighth provincial conference currently under way is a rerun of a 2015 conference, which resulted in Zikalala ousting Senzo Mchunu as provincial chairperson. The conference had to be rerun after the Pietermaritzburg High Court last year declared the 2015 one invalid.

“It is important that we come out with that balanced leadership that will be embraced by all members and structures of our movement,” Zikalala said on Friday.

The PTT coordinator, who it is expected will be nominated unopposed as the party’s provincial chairperson, said unity within the organisation was possible, adding that it was a sacrosanct principle all party members should work towards attaining.

“There is no alternative, there is no other pillar we can use for the ANC to be strong rather than to unite the movement,” Zikalala said.

He said if the ANC failed to unite as an organisation it would fail to achieve the goal it was founded for, which was to unite South Africans, in particular, Africans.

A last-minute court bid on Thursday by the party’s members from Mpendle in the Moses Mabhida region to interdict the new conference failed, and was dismissed with costs.

Despite some ANC members in the province calling for action to be taken against those who take the party to court, Zikalala said the party’s leadership should be level-headed when dealing with the matter.

“We are going to sit down and analyse and get a report as to why the comrades decided to take the steps they took, taking issues to court. So it will only be after that engagement where we take a decision on what to do,” Zikalala said.

He said it remains an important strategic priority of the organisation in the province to ensure that the party’s membership is integrated, issues are resolved and instilling the idea that resolving issues must be done with the ANC’s structures.

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