ANC will pay if it cannot unite fractious KZN before elections
● It is as if the ANC national conference never happened.
The factions that existed before the December gathering that elected President Cyril Ramaphosa are still very much intact in KwaZulu-Natal in the lead-up to its provincial conference.
This came out into the open during a recent visit by the national working committee to listen to branch members in the province’s 11 regions.
In Durban, party members sang pro-Jacob Zuma songs in Ramaphosa’s presence.
In Pietermaritzburg, known Ramaphosa backers complained of being barred from a meeting attended by ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule.
In some areas, party meetings get disrupted by gun-toting thugs.
Attitudes have hardened on both sides as the election draws closer.
The mud-slinging contest is in full swing. The Ramaphosa group, who appear to be on the back foot, accuse the Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma camp of refusing to accept the Nasrec outcome, even of defying the national executive committee.
To support their claim, they point out that T-shirts bearing Ramaphosa’s face are a scarce commodity in the province because the provincial head office has not distributed them to ANC members and supporters.
In addition, some government departments are said to have failed to put up Ramaphosa portraits in their offices. The absence of Ramaphosa’s picture in the main reception area of the provincial head office in Durban, five months after he was elected, is taken as a clear sign that Dlamini-Zuma’s backers are living in denial.
The other camp is also throwing mud. Ramaphosa’s supporters stand accused of triumphalism and are said to in fact be trying to prevent the other side from embracing “their president”.
They are accused of painting everyone who supported Dlamini-Zuma with the same brush.
Zuma’s trial has added fuel to the fire, with anyone attending immediately labelled anti-Ramaphosa.
Provincial task team co-ordinator Sihle Zikalala is the frontrunner to win the provincial ANC chairmanship as the opposing faction does not seem to have the appetite to put up a serious fight.
But whoever wins, the new leadership will have to go the extra mile to accommodate and unite all factions leading to what promises to be a difficult general election for the ANC in the province.
The rejuvenation of the IFP, which has had a turnaround in its electoral fortunes in recent by-elections, means the ANC will have to put in extra effort to convince voters so that it grows or retains its 64% majority in the province.
A drop in ANC support in KwaZulu-Natal could have serious consequences — for Ramaphosa as well — because it would reduce the national tally and risk plunging the party below the 62% it won in 2014.
Ramaphosa also has a responsibility to lead efforts to put out fires in KwaZulu-Natal and refuse the temptation to associate with a particular group.
The rejuvenation of the IFP means the ANC will have to put in extra effort to convince voters