Murder should be separated from politics, says Zikalala

ANC KZN chairperson Sihle Zikalala, who was elected unopposed during the provincial conference at the weekend, says individuals need to refrain from settling political differences through murder.

This after ANC Youth League member Bongani Usher Mkhize was shot dead on Saturday morning.

Zikalala said police needed to be assisted with their investigations into political killings in the province and that cases should be thoroughly investigated with the goal of arresting perpetrators.

The provincial chair sent condolences on behalf of the party to Mkhize’s family.

“We want to make it clear that we must separate criminal activities from political differences or political issues. The person who is alleged to have killed Bongani handed himself over to the police, and that will give us, at least, an understanding of what happened on the matter,” Zikalala said during an SABC interview on Monday morning.

He gave a brief report back of how the conference had been held and an overview of the party’s future plans in the province.

“We want to express our appreciation and commend the branches, especially delegates who constituted 93% of that conference for the discipline they showed, but also for engagement, especially deliberations on issues that are pertinent and affecting the movement,” Zikalala said.

He said the manner in which the conference was held was proof that the organisation was unified.

“But also it is clear that all organisational structures are committed to ensure that we take the ANC forward as we prepare for the 2019 general election,” Zikalala said.

He added that for the party to be unified, its members needed to be integrated into the organisation and its programmes of actions should be inclusive.

Zikalala said the last-minute attempts to halt the conference through a failed court bid did not mean dissenting voices in the province were without a platform to be heard.

He said it had become a tendency by some within the party to take matters to court to resolve differing views, but he said those who had taken the party to court would be engaged so as to know exactly why they took the decision to approach the courts rather than making use of internal party processes.

Zikalala said party comrades that had taken the organisation to court would be engaged and thereafter mobilised to be part of the ANC’s 2019 election campaign.

“It is important for the ANC to continue providing leadership in South Africa because we can speak with no hesitation that there is no organisation that has a vision and a programme that can deliver total liberation for our people accept the ANC,” he said.

The provincial chair said the party needed to address threats that created insecurities within its ranks and that stability within municipalities needed to be created as well.

“Then there will be no need of bodyguards. Secondly, we need to deal with all criminal activities that take place. The issues of killings, killing is a criminal issue which needs to be treated as such,” he said.

Zikalala said it was concerning that only one woman was in the elected leadership, adding it must be noted, however, that more than 50% of provincial executive committee members were women.

He said the ANC was committed to fighting and uprooting corruption.

“Subscribing to good governancy is a matter of must for us in the ANC, and therefore if there are people who are being investigated, we say the investigations must be done with no fear or favour, but their elections within the ANC structures cannot be stopped because anyone has the right to stand for any position, it is only when a person is found guilty where the ANC needs to take action,” Zikalala said.

He said the party was confident that it would garner many votes during next year’s elections because of the work done by the ANC government so far.

“The people of KwaZulu-Natal know that there is no organisation that can take South Africa into total liberation accept the African National Congress.”

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