Johannesburg – ANC KwaZulu-Natal provincial chairperson Siboniso Duma has defended the presence of former president Jacob Zuma at the ANC’s 55th National Conference in Soweto.
Duma told reporters at the conference that Zuma was a member of the party in good standing and had come to the conference as a delegate.
Some have blamed Zuma’s presence at the conference for the unruly behaviour of delegates, who disrupted President Cyril Ramaphosa’s opening address on the first day of the conference.
"He is a branch delegate. He was elected in his branch; he will participate, and he will follow the line of the province. He will participate like former president Thabo Mbeki; he is the heritage of the ANC," Duma said.
Another factor that contributed to the unrest in plenary, he said, was the delegates had been waiting for the conference for five years. He said the ANC was at a point where critical issues, such as land and the economy, were not being dealt with. Issues of unemployment and divisions in the ANC were also problems for the KZN delegation.
Duma said he appreciated the history between former president Zuma and Ramaphosa, but Zuma was an icon of the ANC and deserved his rightful place in the history of the organisation.
"We were glad to see him shake hands with the incumbent; the predecessor and the incumbent, there are always those contradictions," Duma said.
Duma said provinces were still trying to lobby to ensure their preferred candidates made it into the top six of the ANC. He said this was an ongoing process, but the province was still firmly behind Zweli Mkhize for the position of ANC president.
The Star