Durban - Two months before the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal heads to its elective conference, some branches have lobbied a decorated former Scorpions crime-buster and civil service guru to chair the provincial structure.
Nhlanhla Ngidi, whose last prominent government role was director-general (DG) for the province of KwaZulu-Natal in May 2015, has been approached to take on the incumbent chair, Sihle Zikalala.
In August 2019, Ngidi was one of the three people the ANC had earmarked to take over as eThekwini mayor when it was about to fire corruption-accused Zandile Gumede. However, he lost the contest to Mxolisi Kaunda.
The Daily News first got wind of the underground lobbying through its ANC sources in KwaMashu, north of Durban. After digging, it was able to locate one of the key lobbyists behind the move, Philani Khoza, an ANC member in the eThekwini region.
Ngidi, a lawyer, is a long-standing ANC member and his branch is in Hammarsdale, the west of Durban.
According to his online profile, between 1994 and 2000, he was a member of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature on the ANC ticket.
Upon leaving the position, he joined the now-defunct Scorpions as its head of the crime analysis division.
Khoza said that was one of the reasons why they felt Ngidi was best suited to polish the tainted image of the governing party before the do-or-die 2024 elections. The IFP was angling to reclaim the province it lost in 2004.
“The people have lost hope in the ANC as they see it as a party of people who are self-serving. Now, for us to correct that we need credible people like Ngidi who have a proven track record in public administration and are well versed with issues. We also need a person who will be respected both by the RET (radical economic transformation) and CR (Cyril Ramaphosa) factions,” Khoza told the Daily News on Monday.
NEWS: Former Scorpion crime buster & KZN DG, Nhlanhla Ngidi, is being lobbied by some branches to contest for the position of provincial chairperson when the ANC in KZN convenes its elective conference in July. Ngidi is a lawyer by profession & a former ANC MPL. @DailyNewsSA
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) April 25, 2022
Painting a glowing picture of Ngidi, Khoza said it was during his tenure as DG that the provincial government of KwaZulu-Natal got a clean audit.
“He is best suited for this role. We have approached him and he advised us that we should follow all due processes of the ANC. In that regard, we have approached his branch in Hammarsdale to nominate him.”
Khoza said all the positions below the chairperson, after consultations, should be given to the factions backing Zikalala and his challenger, Nomusa Dube-Ncube.
Ngidi confirmed to the Daily News that he had been approached but said so far no branch has nominated him.
“I do confirm that certain individuals have approached me with a proposal to make myself available for the provincial chairpersonship come (the) next provincial conference. I have said that as a disciplined cadre of the ANC, I will consider that if it comes from branches of the ANC. So far, no branch of the has either approached me or proposed my name in any form,” he said.
Daily News