ANC secretary-general, Comrade Fikile Mbalula during a media briefing on 20 July 2024. Picture: Gallo Images/Ziyaad Douglas
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has unveiled the newly appointed leaders set to steer the party in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
Mbalula held a media briefing in Durban on Tuesday to reveal the names of ANC members appointed to the provincial task team.
The ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) recently resolved to restructure KwaZulu-Natal’s provincial executive committee (PEC) following a report from the national working committee (NWC).
The shake-up follows the party’s underwhelming performance in KZN and Gauteng in the 2024 general elections.
In KZN, the ANC secured just 17.2% of the vote, finishing in third place.
Mbalula confirmed the appointments within the reconfigured leadership, naming ANC head of policy Jeff Radebe as the provincial convenor.
Former eThekweni speaker Weziwe Thusi will serve as the first deputy provincial convenor, while outgoing ANC KZN chairperson Sboniso Duma takes on the role of second deputy provincial convenor.
Former ANC KZN deputy chairperson Mike Mabuyakhulu has been appointed as the provincial coordinator, with former premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube serving as the provincial deputy coordinator.
Additionally, KZN health MEC Nomagugu Simelane will act as the provincial fundraiser.
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Mbalula emphasised that the reconfiguration of the provincial leadership in both KZN and Gauteng is a crucial intervention aimed at strengthening the party’s structures and revitalising the movement.
“These two provinces not only have the largest populations but also hold significant economic weight, making them critical to the country’s development,” he said.
He indicated that the interim provincial task team will be responsible for stabilising the organisation, promoting political education, and working towards revitalising ANC branches throughout the province.
Outgoing ANC KZN secretary Bheki Mtolo has been demoted and will now serve as the convenor of policy, monitoring, and evaluation.
“Bheki Mtolo will remain on the full-time payroll of the ANC till the term was defined at the time when he was elected as the provincial secretary.”
Mbalula praised the KZN leadership for maintaining discipline, even after learning about the changes through media reports and leaks.
“It does not mean they agreed with the decision, or they did not have dissenting voices with regards to what they were reading in the press, but they respected the [national] leadership.
“In this particular instance, we are satisfied that our organisation has demonstrated signs of decency and decorum,” the ANC secretary-general explained.
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He stated that ANC members should not be receiving news about their organisation through the media.
“It’s unfortunate that some of our people have undermined the decorum of our organisation by leaking stuff to the media before talking to our structures.”
Mbalula emphasised that the reconfiguration was not an attempt to assign blame to others.
“It’s a reality that is facing our movement as a collective, and these comrades of KZN have understood that,” Mbalula said, adding that “the leadership cannot be paralysed and suffer from political paralysis when they are faced with a situation”.
The ANC secretary-general highlighted that “nobody has been thrown to the streets”.
“We have got everybody on board, and that is what is important.”
Meanwhile, Mbalula mentioned that the performance of the KZN provincial task team will be reviewed.
“The only thing that can make us deal with the structure is if the structure itself that has been strengthened is not doing what it is expected to do.
“We have given these comrades clear tasks of what they need to do, and we will be working with them.
“The first part of the task is to do an audit of all structures of the organisation and intervene decisively.”
The team is scheduled to meet on Monday.
“The time to lament the loss…is over. Our task now is to rebuild the organisation in KwaZulu-Natal, and that will begin in earnest.”
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