Lungani Zungu
ANC members in Zandile Gumede’s ward 53 branch in Inanda, Durban, have made it clear that they are preparing for a future without her.
Those who were once her allies have now voted against her and nominated her rival, Thabani Nyawose, for the position of regional chairperson ahead of the party’s elective conference.
Despite this humiliation, the former eThekwini mayor, now a Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL), remains unfazed.
“There is still a long way to go. It’s still early. Let’s wait until the entire process is concluded.”
She said she was relaxed and declined to comment further.
Nyawose campaigned hard for Cyril Ramaphosa to be elected as ANC president at the Nasrec elective conference in 2017.
He is currently leading the race with 31 branch nominations, compared to 19 nominations for Gumede.
This was yet another indication that Ramaphosa had cemented his support in KZN, a province that once fell into the hands of former president Jacob Zuma, Gumede’s ally.
If Nyawose wins the biggest of the ANC region in KZN, it would be a big boost for Ramaphosa’s re-election campaign when the ANC holds its elective conference next December.
Even Gumede’s former staunch backer, Thanduxolo Sabelo, the provincial ANC secretary and ANC councillor, has dumped her in favour of Nyawose.
The ANC in KZN is expected to announce the dates of all outstanding regional conferences on Tuesday.
Scrolla.Africa was reliably told that the party was locked in a meeting on Tuesday evening to discuss the dates of the conferences.
Gumede is refusing to step aside from her position as a MPL despite being charged with corruption relating to the dubious R430 million Durban Solid Waste tender.
