SIYABONGA SITHOLE
Ahead of the ANC KZN Provincial Conference, RET proponent and member of the ANC in the province, Nkosentsha Shezi, called on the delegates to use their votes wisely and vote for leaders who hve the interests of the party at heart, adding that the current chairperson, Sihle Zikalala, was nowhere to be found when the province needed him the most during the July unrest of 2021.
"The leadership of the province, most particularly, was nowhere to be found. It is shameful and despicable that the chairperson of KZN, comrade Sihle Zikalala was nowhere to be found during the July unrests when our people were crying and yelling for leadership when the hope and pillar for the vast majority of our people when comrade Jacob Zuma was arrested and the people were hopeless. Sihle Zikalala and his crew were nowhere to be seen, and when he eventually appeared, he was seen assaulting a back child when black people were facing a massacre," said Shezi.
This assertion then leaves two contenders, businessman Sandile Zungu, whose campaign has been dubbed "The fresh approach", and fellow contender, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, whose camping has been seen as the "game changer" as contenders for the position of chairperson. With the conference set to get underway this weekend in Durban, Zungu feels confident that his name will emerge victorious come end of conference on Sunday, adding that he was heeding calls from the branches.
On the back of electoral reforms and the need to transform the ruling party and the many of its failures in the past five years and beyond, Zungu's candidacy is a breath of fresh air, and his win might be a step in the right direction for the ruling party battling a series of political malaise onslaught due to corruption and factionalism.
However, looking at the number of contenders for the chairperson position, political analysts point out that the many names are indicative of the divisions within the party in the province. Other names that have been in circulation for the position of chairperson on social media include those of Nhlanhla Ngidi, Siboniso Duma.
Zungu is seen as a better option and a breath of fresh air from the usual suspects who have carved their careers as a politician, while Zungu has carved a name for himself in the higher echelons of business and private sector, with politics coming secondary to his business ethics and savviness as his trump card against seasoned politicians such as Sihle Zikalala, Nomusa Dube-Ncube and other contenders for the chairperson position.
"The fact that you have five people contesting for the position of chairperson should tell you something, namely that everyone thinks that they are suitable for the position. No one is considering declining, which is an option, University of KZN lecturer and political analyst Siyabonga Ntombela told Independent Media on Wednesday ahead of the conference.