By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) highest decision-making body between National Conferences, National Executive Committee (NEC) has reconfigured the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Provincial Task Team (PTT).
The PTT was initially given nine months to organise a provincial elective conference to establish new provincial and regional leadership structures. However, the team missed the deadline and attended the National General Council (NGC) without having convened the conference.
ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula announced the reconfiguration earlier today in Durban.
Mike Mabuyakhulu has been named as the new convenor, taking over party’s stalwart Jeff Radebe.
Bongi Sithole-Moloi has been appointed the first deputy convenor, while former ANC KZN chairperson Siboniso Duma will serve as the second deputy convenor.
James Nxumalo has been appointed provincial co-ordinator, with Siphesihle Mdaka serving as his deputy. The PTT officials are as follows:
- Mike Mabuyakhulu – Provincial Convenor
- Bongi Sithole-Moloi – 1st Deputy Provincial Convenor
- Siboniso Duma – 2nd Deputy Convenor
- James Nxumalo – Provincial Coordinator
- Siphesihle Mdaka – Deputy Coordinator
- Nomagugu Simelane – Fundraiser
Mbalula said that, at this stage, only the officials of the PTT had been announced, with the full list of members to be released the following week, including the reconfiguration of Regional Task Teams across KwaZulu-Natal.
He said the National Working Committee (NWC) had acted on the mandate of the NEC after the expiry of both the Provincial Task Team and Regional Task Teams.
He said the ANC had made changes to the provincial structure following its assessment, and acknowledged outgoing leaders.
“We wish to thank Comrade Jeff Radebe who has now been reassigned to other tasks in the organisation, and that will be announced very soon in terms of the assignment of tasks to Comrade Jeff,” Mbalula said.
He added that Radebe was a stalwart and the veteran of our movement who at all times is always available to do organisational work of the ANC.
Apart from Radebe, other senior provincial leaders who were dropped include former premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, who was the party’s PTT deputy co-ordinator, and former Social Development MEC Weziwe Thusi, who was the party’s first deputy convenor.
Mbalula also defended the appointment of Nxumalo, saying his affiliation with the South African Communist Party (SACP) did not preclude his role in the ANC.
He said Communists remain within the ANC, even as the SACP has taken a decision to contest the upcoming Local Government Elections independently.
“James is an ANC member, we are not navigating anything, he is a coordinator of the ANC, and he can still remain as a communist and there is no problem. His dual membership is not in question, if he did not want to take up this position he would have told us that no, I am a red-hot communist, I don’t want to take (up the position),” said Mbalula.
He added that all provinces had been instructed to convene regional general meetings over the weekend, including KwaZulu-Natal, where structures would be briefed on the resolutions of the special NEC meeting held in Johannesburg last week.
Mbalula said the ANC had already begun briefing alliance partners and would conclude consultations with SANCO, before engaging other internal structures including the Veterans League, Women’s League and Youth League.
“And then next week we will hold a media briefing in Johannesburg on the outcomes of the special executive committee. So everything that has been said about special NEC is distorted in public. The ANC will speak for itself at all material times,” he said.
In the 2024 elections, just over 1.2 million votes were cast in eThekwini. The MK party took 48%, followed by the DA with 23% and the ANC with 14%. The ANC’s support was obliterated in its former strongholds Umlazi, Inanda, Clermont, KwaMashu and others.