‘KZN ANC stands behind step aside guidelines,’ says provincial leader Ntuli

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) stands fully behind the party’s “step aside” guidelines that could see party leaders faced with criminal charges step down within 30 days or be suspended.

Provincial secretary-general Mdumiseni Ntuli was speaking to eNCA’s Thulasizwe Simelane on Tuesday.

The “step aside” debate has brought the party’s longstanding divisions back to life, with secretary-general Ace Magashule headlining the list of people who may face such a consequence following corruption allegations emanating from his time as the

Free State premier.

The ANC in KZN has been grappling with the “step aside” issue due to some of its leaders also implicated in corruption and other criminal charges.

Political heavyweights such as KZN deputy chairperson Mike Mabuyakhulu and former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede are among the leaders facing corruption charges in court.

In August 2020 Gumede was asked to step down after her controversial appointment as a member of the KZN legislature.

She was later reinstated after she appeared before the provincial integrity commission. Mabuyakhulu was also cleared to report for duty by the provincial integrity commission Ntuli said the decision by the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) on the “step aside” guidelines was not targeted at any specific members of the party.

He said this was based purely on principles and a resolution taken at the party’s 2017 Nasrec conference.

“Anybody who happens to have his or her name affected in one way or the other, this is essentially a coincidence. The decision emanates from a conference resolution [in 2017] and it’s a principled decision adopted by the NEC,” Ntuli told eNca.