CR and top brass meet Zulu king
Warring KZN ANC leaders invited to the monarchy in bid to unite party
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa and four members of the party’s top six paid Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini a courtesy visit at his Osuthu Palace in Nongoma, northern KwaZulu-Natal, yesterday.
This was part of a campaign to renew and unite the ruling party.
The warring ANC KZN leadership was also invited to attend the meeting with the king as an attempt to unite the party, secretary-general Ace Magashule said.
Ramaphosa was accompanied by his deputy David Mabuza‚ national chairman Gwede Mantashe‚ Magashule and treasurer Paul Mashatile.
The ANC leaders also briefed King Zwelithini on the outcome of the 54th national elective conference held in Johannesburg last month.
Magashule told the media that the purpose of the meeting was to introduce the new ANC leadership to the king, and about the renewal of the party. The ANC had been dogged by deep divisions ahead of its elective conference.
“It’s about the renewal and revival of the ANC as we celebrate 106 years‚” he said.
Ramaphosa echoed Magashule’s words‚ saying they were pleased that the drive of renewing the ANC was being done under the king’s auspices.
“Your Majesty we’re going to work very hard to forge the unity that you want to see in the ANC and the majority of the people want to see‚” he said.
He praised the king for his passion to work the land, and that the ANC conference had resolved to expropriate land without compensation.
“We took a resolution that in the last 23 years we have not seen the progress we would have liked to see in terms of land distribution. We’re now going to return the land to our people. We’re going to expropriate land without compensation‚” he said.
He said this should be done without harming the country’s economy‚ agricultural activities and food security.
The visit will also see them laying wreaths at the graves of founding party leaders John Langalibalele Dube‚ Josiah Gumede and Inkosi Albert Luthuli. Magashule said they would visit other traditional leaders in the Eastern Cape and across the country.
He would not be drawn on the NEC agenda on Wednesday and calls for President Jacob Zuma to step down.