South African President, Jacob Zuma speaks during the memorial service for Chris Hani on the 24th anniversary of his murder at the Thomas Nkobi cemetery in Boksburg, 10 April 2017. Picture: Neil McCartney
The newly elected leadership of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is set to visit former president Jacob Zuma this Sunday at his Nkandla homestead.
In what has been billed as a “historic visit” by the party, the ANC in the province says it wants to meet with Zuma to seek guidance and wisdom from him.
This follows the senior party leaders’ visit earlier this month, to former president Thabo Mbeki at his foundation’s offices in Johannesburg.
At the time, ANC KZN chairperson Siboniso Duma said their engagement with Mbeki formed part of efforts of organisational renewal and unity.
Duma was elected as the ANC’s chair in the province in July, after beating Sihle Zikalala for the top post.
Since Duma’s so-called “Taliban” faction won the conference, the ANC in the province has called for the governing party to scrap its controversial step-aside resolution that requires ANC members facing serious allegations or charges to step down pending the conclusion of their matters.
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Zikalala also resigned as the premier of KZN, with Nomusa Dube-Ncube being instilled as the first female premier of the province.
And with the ANC expected to elect new leaders at its national elective conference in December, the province has yet to pronounce whether it would back President Cyril Ramaphosa to serve a second term as ANC leader.
The ANC in KZN is the governing party’s biggest province in the country.
Ramaphosa was booed as he arrived at the provincial elective conference, with some delegates singing “wenzeni uZuma” which translates to “what has Zuma done”. He was eventually allowed to deliver the closing address at the congress after Duma intervened.
ANC KZN provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo on Friday announced that the provincial working committee would visit Zuma in KwaDakwadunuse, Nkandla.
Mtolo said they requested their regions to submit a delegation of five names that would form part of this delegation to Nkandla.
The ANC in KZN has made no secret how it feels about the treatment of Zuma by the party since he was forced to step down on 14 February 2018.
And subsequently to the former president’s imprisonment last year, by the Constitutional Court for being in contempt of court.
In a statement, Mtolo described Zuma as having excellent human relations, listening skills and the capacity to unify.
“It was felt that, inevitably, Zuma’s leadership would be needed to refocus attention to the vision of the ANC to build a compassionate and caring society. His passion for education, rural development, fighting poverty and crime remains legendary.
“It was felt that Zuma would further enhance the consultative character of our organisation once the transformation agenda was in place after Mbeki.”
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