By Lungani Zungu
Jacob Zuma’s election as the chairperson of the South Africa National Civic Organisation (Sanco) in KwaZulu-Natal has been railed against by another faction of the organisation.
The faction led by former ANC councillor Lawrence Dube has described the conference as “bogus”.
This faction said it only recognises a structure elected in 2021 that is led by Dube as its chairperson.
Speaking to Scrolla.Africa, Dube said: “As far as we know, there’s only one structure that leads Sanco. We don’t know anything about a parallel structure that former president Jacob Zuma now leads.”
Sanco is part of the tripartite alliance between the ANC, SACP and Cosatu.
Dube is the man who took the ANC to court in 2017 following the elective 2015 elective conference in KZN that saw former chairperson Sihle Zikalala being elected.
He won, and that conference was declared null and void.
Dube said: “We are not going to allow our organisation to be run by people with sinister objectives. We are not a political party but a civic organisation that aims to fight for the people.”
It appears Zuma will have a tough time leading what Dube called a parallel structure of Sanco.
Zuma was unveiled as the new chairperson of Sanco at the organisation’s two-day conference in Durban over the weekend.
Sizwe Cele, the provincial secretary of the faction against Zuma’s election, said the 80-year-old former president has never been a member of Sanco.
“He has never been a member of Sanco. Instead, he came to deliver messages of support in Sanco in his capacity as the ANC president back then,” said Cele.
Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube – who also attended the conference – has been accused of validating the “bogus” conference.
Cele called for the ANC provincial leadership led by Sboniso Duma as chairperson to recall Dube-Ncube.
In a statement, Dube-Ncube labelled Cele’s claims as a “fantasy”.
Zuma’s election has been analysed in many quarters as his strategy to resuscitate his ailing political career.
The faction that elected Zuma as its chairperson could not be reached for comment.
Pictured above: Former president Jacob Zuma after his election as chairperson of Sanco at the weekend
Picture source: @NomsaMD
