Durban - The newly consolidated ANC leadership in KwaZulu-Natal is expected to start discussing the potential candidates who should represent the province on the National Executive Committee, which will be installed at the party’s crucial conference later this year.
The ANC in KZN also wants to get at least two representatives into the ANC’s Top Six after a divided province lost out on a position at the Nasrec conference in 2017.
However, the province will first focus on this coming weekend’s ANC national policy conference as it is looking to get the “divisive” step-aside policy scrapped.
A resolution on the issue was passed at the provincial elective conference at the weekend.
The step-aside policy prevents those charged with corruption and crimes from taking part in the organisation’s activities, including standing for leadership positions.
It has had significant implications for Zweli Mkhize, who is seen as vying for the position of ANC president at the December conference.
Mkhize is also being mentioned as one of four NEC candidates that the KZN ANC wants in the senior leadership of the party.
Sources at the weekend provincial conference said the party would like to see Mkhize and either former chairperson Sihle Zikalala, former provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli or former treasurer Nomusa Dube-Ncube take up two seats in the Top Six. The remaining two would be preferred to take up NEC positions.
“The priority now is to fix KZN, unite people, regain lost ground and target a win at the 2024 elections in the province. But getting two people from KZN into the Top Six will then become the focus,” said one source.
Mkhize resigned as minister of health last August, when he was implicated in the irregular awarding of contracts to Digital Vibes.
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) found the department irregularly awarded the R141-million media awareness campaign contract for the National Health Insurance (NHI) and another R125m contract for Covid-19 when Mkhize was the health minister.
An SIU report tabled before Scopa (the standing committee on public accounts) said the former minister approved two budget applications for Digital Vibes for the NHI communication.
Mkhize has gone to court to have the SIU report reviewed and set aside, and last October had requested evidence and documents from the SIU so he could clear his name.
Mkhize’s lobbyists said the SIU has still not provided the former minister with crucial transcripts of witness testimony and claim these are delaying tactics to prevent him from running for ANC president.
They also say that the Department of Health has concluded its disciplinary process against three of its officials who oversaw the Digital Vibes process.
“There is zero evidence that anyone, least of all Dr Mkhize, ever exerted any undue pressure on these officials to act in a particular way,” said a lobbyist, who said that the inference was that Mkhize was not guilty of a crime.
Political analyst Zakhele Ndlovu, a lecturer in political science at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said it was crucial that the provincial ANC had representation in the Top Six of the party.
“KZN has the largest membership nationally and it should have at least one representative in the Top Six.
“In ANC politics, KZN has always been considered a force to be reckoned with as it is home to the first president of the party, John Dube, the most celebrated president of the party Albert Luthuli and former president Jacob Zuma,” Ndlovu said.