DURBAN – Outgoing ANC KwaZulu-Natal secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli says they are targeting an early start for the provincial elective conference today (Friday) as they want delegates to have a fair chance of discussing policy documents, and not just focus on electing new leaders.
Briefing the media yesterday ahead of the conference scheduled to start today and conclude on Sunday, Ntuli said they were aware of the dangers of delegates getting preoccupied with electing new leaders, without paying any attention to the ruling party’s discussion documents.
“We want to start early, so that by dinner time (this evening), the top five officials are elected. This will enable us to sit for commissions that will discuss policy documents on Saturday morning,” said Ntuli.
One of the pressing policy issues that is likely to be raised at the conference is the step-aside rule which has come under fierce criticism from several quarters, including the ANC Youth League in KwaZulu-Natal, which has questioned its selective implementation.
The provincial secretary said they were concerned about the emergence of different slates that were circulating in the media, adding that they had the potential to divide the ANC. Such a move which, he insisted, would benefit the ruling party’s enemies.
“The ANC has no control of the slates that are circulating. What we know is that there are people who survive when the ANC is divided and they know that if KZN is divided, they would be able to seize control of South Africa,” Ntuli continued.
He told the media that the outgoing provincial leadership had sought to deal with the divisions, achieving a modest level of success.
This, Ntuli pointed out, had been because there was no dominant slate that emerged from the 2018 provincial conference and this compelled those elected to forge unity.