Maroc - dailynews.co.za - News - 14/Jan 12:54

eThekwini Region awaits ANC directive for April conference

The national ANC leadership’s indecision on the future of KwaZulu-Natal provincial executive committee is now delaying elective conferences in the regions whose terms are expiring.Towards the end of last year, the national leadership, after deliberating on the representations by the provincial leadership under chairperson Siboniso Duma and secretary Bheki Mtolo, announced that the decision on the future of the leadership would be decided after the party’s 113th birthday celebration, which took place in Cape Town last weekend.It was because of dismal performance during the May general elections where the party lost the province.One of the regions that could have started preparing branches for the conference is eThekwini, which is due for the conference in April. The regional spokesperson Mlondi Mkhize said the region is waiting for the directive on when it can start preparations for the conference. He cited the outstanding issues between the national and provincial structure as the reason why Luthuli House has not communicated anything about conferences in the province.“We are due for the conference in April, however, there is nothing we can do until the national leadership gives us the go-ahead, so we are waiting,” said Mkhize.As the biggest region not only in the province but in the country, eThekwini was supposed to have started the processes, holding branch elections and getting branches ready for the conference.With the current chairperson, Zandile Gumede, seemingly out of the race because of a court case and step-aside rule, the contest is rumoured to be between municipality Speaker Thabani Nyawose and Nkosenhle Madlala, the current deputy secretary of the region.Other regions whose terms have expired or are about to expire are Nokuhamba Nyawo in the north-east of the province, Mbuso Kubheka (Newcastle), Harry Gwala in Ixopo in the south-west and General Gizenga Mpanza, which includes KwaDukuza in the north-central of the province.willem.phungula@inl.co.za