By Celani Sikhakhane
- Insiders say the ANC wants Bheki Cele to lead eThekwini as the party dissolves several regional task teams this week.
- Bheki Cele told Scrolla that no one has approached him and dodged questions about taking the top job right now.
Bheki Cele is brushing off talk of a political comeback. The former police minister says nobody has asked him to run the ANC in eThekwini.
ANC insiders say Cele is in line to take over as the new convener of the eThekwini region.
This comes as the ANC chops several regional task teams across KwaZulu-Natal this week, including the eThekwini structure. The party is also shutting down the provincial task team.
But Cele told Scrolla.Africa on Friday that he knows nothing about the plan.
“No one has ever come to me on this matter that you are talking about,” Cele said.
He dodged questions about whether he would take the job if the ANC asked him to step in.
“You are now going too far on an issue that I don’t really know what has to do with what we are talking about,” he said.
Cele knows the eThekwini region well. He once ran the region as chairperson alongside the late ANC secretary John Mchunu.
Under Cele, the eThekwini region controlled over 900 branches. It was a powerful force in ANC provincial and national congresses.
In 2007, Cele and his region helped former president Jacob Zuma beat Thabo Mbeki at the Polokwane elective conference.
But Cele did not stay at the top. Mchunu overthrew him at a regional elective conference to grab the chairperson seat.
His rivals plotted the takeover while Cele was out of the country on a government working trip. At the time, Cele served as the KZN transport and community safety MEC.
Pictured above: Former police minister Bheki Cele says no one has approached him to lead the ANC in eThekwini.
Image source: ActionSA
