KZN ANC Conference: Ramaphosa set to address delegates

President Cyril Ramaphosa will make his way to the Olive Convention Centre in Durban on Sunday to close the African National Congress (ANC) provincial elective conference.

This came to light following confusion and mixed messages from the ANC on Saturday on whether Ramaphosa will close the KwaZulu-Natal elective conference that saw his ally, Premier Sihle Zikalala lose chairperson position to legislature chair of chairs Sboniso Duma.

Duma’s pro-RET ‘Taliban’ slate, also backed by former health minister Zweli Mkhize, emerged triumphant over Zikalala’s, getting a lion’s share of support from the over 1,600 delegates.

There had been a rallying of forces behind Mkhize to emerge in the top six of the ANC come the December national conference.

KwaZulu-Natal, being the biggest in terms of ANC members, could set the tone on whether Ramaphosa gets a second term or not.

The province is known for its unwavering support for former president Jacob Zuma, with delegates singing signature song “what has Zuma done” throughout the weekend at the conference.

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On Friday, ANC acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile said Ramaphosa would arrive in the province to close off the 9th provincial conference.

However, on Saturday, Mashatile backtracked from his position of the previous day, telling journalists the party would hear from the presidency if Ramaphosa would be free to attend the event.

Meanwhile, suspended ANC member Carl Niehaus and several others continued with their picketing against Ramaphosa outside the party’s KwaZulu-Natal conference venue, calling for Ramaphosa to step down.

Niehaus, who was suspended as party member and then later fired as a Luthuli House employee, has been leading the charge calling for the embattled Ramaphosa to resign over circumstances surrounding his Phala Phala farm robbery.

Niehaus called his latest activity a “protest of shame against Ramaphosa.”

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