Kimberley - Senior ANC national executive
committee (NEC) member Zweli
Mkhize has vowed to step in at Moses Mabhida Region in KwaZulu-Natal to clamp down on factionalism and lack of service delivery.
The situation in the region, which incorporates the province’s capital city Pietermaritzburg, had led to a series of execution-style killings of comrades in the past few years, and the collapse of service delivery in the Msunduzi Municipality.
As a result of service delivery failure, the ANC provincial leadership had to disband the municipality’s executive committee and replace Themba Njilo as mayor, with Mzimkhulu Thebolla, last year.
Mkhize made the announcement that he would personally lead a mission to clear the region of factionalism when he and SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande laid wreaths this week at the graves of struggle heroes such as former late ANC president Josiah Gumede, SACP stalwarts Harry Gwala and Moses Mabhida, as part of celebrating the ANC’s 108th anniversary.
“We want to notify you that these elders (he and Nzimande) are coming back to ensure that this ANC is united.
“We are going to tell you straight when you are wrong,” he said.
Mkhize said it was embarrassing to see the region where Mabhida and Gwala grew up plagued by political intolerance among comrades.
“The problem is that there are people who have monopolised the ANC and isolate other people.
“I was also once kicked out of my branch, which I had created, by shameless thugs,” said Mkhize.
When he was campaigning for the ANC presidential position before the party’s national elective conference in 2017, some activists in his Willowfountain village allegedly prevented him from participating in branch
general meetings as they claimed that he had not renewed his membership for years.
He said he would no longer tolerate the killing of comrades in the name of the ANC.
“People are killed because of division among ANC leaders and because people have self interest in the ANC.”
Mkhize said ANC branches were
occupied by dictators whose intention was to enrich themselves.
The party’s internal division has for years been worsening in the region with politically motivated killings.
Among prominent killings was that of ANC and SACP activist Bonginkosi Mchunu, who was gunned down at his home two years ago.
Two ANC Youth League activists Sthembiso Mhlongo and Lungisani Mnguni were also killed in the region in the same year.
There were fears of more killings during the ANC nomination period in preparation for next year’s local government elections.
“It should not be a problem when people no longer want you to be a councillor; you should step down.
“We want to end these killings
as we did with violence between
ANC and IFP (in the early ’90s),” said Mkhize.