DURBAN - A POLITICAL analyst says there is uncertainty as to whether or not former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede will be allowed to attend the eThekwini ANC conference after her ward 53 branch in Inanda nominated her rival, Thabani Nyawose.
Political analyst Thabani Khumalo feels the rival nomination and President Cyril Ramaphosa’s increasing control of the ANC national executive committee are the reasons why branches have begun dumping Gumede in the run-up to the eThekwini conference.
Khumalo said their ANC branches were now a shadow of themselves and no longer about principle – “stomach politics” had replaced everything.
“Branches were now filled with Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers, solely swelling branches for material gains. Now who must align himself or herself with people clearly on the losing path?
“Everyone now sees that President Ramaphosa is in full control of the national executive committee, where decisions are made and filtered to the branches. Politics is no longer about principle but the direction of forces.”
The latest figures from branch general meetings over the weekend showed Nyawose currently in pole position, with 31 branches against the 19 that had nominated Gumede.
Khumalo said a corruption cloud hung over Gumede’s head and uncertainty as to whether she would participate in the conference due to the step-aside resolution could be why branches were no longer interested in her. He said he had been asking himself how Ace Magashule and radical economic transformation (RET) forces were hoping to return after losing at Nasrec because the faction that won was going to control resources and use those resources to control branches.
Gumede’s chief lobbyist, Ntando Khuzwayo, agreed that changing political dynamics were forcing people to change their earlier positions. But he said his faction was unfazed by the ward 53 result. Out of the four branches that had sat at the weekend, three had nominated Gumede; one chose Nyawose, he said. “We need 75 branches to sit before going to the conference, so people can write us off at their own peril; we will bounce back.”
Nyawose’s lobbyist, who declined to be named, said snatching Gumede’s ward meant victory for Nyawose. He said it was a crucial win for his faction.
“People know Gumede won’t even attend the conference, and now they are aligning themselves with us. Our message of renewal, rebuilding and unity is resonating with many people.”
Daily News