ANC must take ‘responsibility’ for KZN violence

THE ANC needed to “accept resp for political violence in KwaZulu-Natal‚ former provincial chairman and KZN premier Senzo Mchunu said yesterday.

Mchunu‚ testifying at the Moerane Commission into political violence in the province‚ said that recent outbreaks of political violence were the party’s fault.

Since the beginning of the year‚ at least 10 people have died in apparent political violence in KZN‚ most linked to internal party factions.

“The ANC must accept responsibility.

“For that you need strong‚ resolute leadership that doesn’t depend on this or that faction for survival‚” he said.

Mchunu was ousted as party chairman at the now-nullified ANC KZN 2015 elective conference.

He said he was now a small-time farmer since being “fired” as KZN premier in May 2016.

He said during testimony that while political violence in KZN had largely been between the ANC and the IFP in the 1980s and into the 1990s – which was historically sponsored by the apartheid government – it had started to become more internal within the ANC recently.

On top of this‚ the violence had been mostly aimed at local government officials and councillors.

This‚ he said‚ was because a councillor post was an “easily-accessible paid public position for people”.

It also created a space where councillors and their “inner circle” of backers who carried the councillor to power‚ could access tenders.

“It creates proximity to tenders‚ or proximity to power-broking positions‚” he said.

He added that, on occasion, party leaders would alter ANC party lists, used to determine who stood as candidates, after voting. — DDC