By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
African National Council (ANC) Secretary General Fikile Mbalula says they’re dealing with former president Jacob Zuma as he works with the enemy to steal their property.
Mbalula was addressing party supporters at KwaXimba near Cato Ridge, west of Durban.
The area of KwaXimba is a peri urban area under one of the biggest ANC’s regions eThekwini.
Thousands of ANC members and supporters attended the mini rally.
However, the emergence of the MK party backed by Zuma, turned the area into a political battleground following the party’s strong showing here two weeks ago.
In its bid to galvanise support before the rally, ANC provincial chairperson, Siboniso Duma said that for people to experience warmth they first needed to go through coldness.
Duma was referring to the turbulence the organisation found itself building up with the upcoming general elections.
“We must experience the dark to understand light. Therefore, contrasting experiences are never bad but they are necessary to us as members of the ANC. This understanding will help all of us to remain on the right path and focus on fulfilling the historic mission of the ANC,” Duma said.
Mbalula said, right now Zuma is ruining things for us, that is why we have suspended him. You cannot say you are still a member of ANC yet you are working with people against us.” “Comrades let’s not work on Zuma but let’s work to strengthen the ANC, KZN is the home of the ANC.
The decision to remove Zuma, 81, was taken at a meeting of the ANC’s national executive committee,
Zuma announced in December that he will campaign for the newly formed uMkhonto WeSizwe party, even as he insisted he remained a member of the ANC.
The decision will likely alienate part of the ANC’s support base as it gears up for elections scheduled to take place later this year. A poll conducted by the Social Research Foundation found that 28.9% of respondents canvassed nationally were somewhat or very favourably disposed toward Zuma, while the figure jumped to 63.1% in KwaZulu-Natal, his home province.
Zuma ruled South Africa for almost nine years through a series of scandals before the ANC forced him to step down in 2018 to stem a loss of support.
Mbalula also made an appeal to the AmaZulu Monarch to remain apolitical and non-partisan.
“We hold the Zulu Monarchy on high regard. Let’s not politicize the traditional leadership it must always be above politics. As the ANC we have come very far with the institution of traditional leaders. The IFP stole traditional leadership but we restored order as the ANC and that is why the institution of traditional leadership is now dignified. We respect the Zulu monarch.”
Meanwhile Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi dismissed suggestions that the Nasi iSpani youth recruitment programme is an election campaign as the country heads to the polls this year.
Lesufi addressed 32 000 young people at Dobsonville Stadium in Soweto on Sunday.
The premier rejected the criticism from opposition parties who claim the Nasi iSpani programme, which was launched in June 2023, was “electioneering” ahead of this year’s national and provincials elections.
The premier stressed that the programme’s main objective was to alleviate youth unemployment in the province.