Senzo Mchunu to come in from the cold?

FORMER ANC KwaZulu-Natal chairman Senzo Mchunu could make a dramatic political comeback to a senior leadership position at the party’s elective conference in December.

This is after Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa’s home region of Vhembe, in Limpopo, put his name forward for one of the senior positions in the party.

Mchunu lost the position of provincial chairman to the incumbent, Sihle Zikalala, at a bruising and divisive elective conference in 2015.

Regional secretary Anderson Mudumungu said the region had a high regard for Mchunu’s leadership, and wanted him to be elected as either national chairman or treasurer-general.

The region also announced yesterday that it had extended an invitation to Mchunu to address an ANC meeting at Thulamela Municipality’s Ward 32 on Saturday as part of Ramaphosa’s ANC presidential campaign.

Ramaphosa, who also enjoys SACP and Cosatu backing, would be contesting the position of ANC president against former AU Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

Dlamini Zuma is backed, among others, by her former husband, President Jacob Zuma, the ANC Women’s League, the Umkhonto we Sizwe military veterans and ANC Youth League.

“Comrade Senzo is grounded on the principles, aims and objectives of the ANC. He is one of those comrades who can be relied on, he is one of those comrades who can be trusted with the management of the activities and responsibilities of the ANC,” said Mudumungu.

He said that under Ramaphosa’s leadership, Mchunu’s political career looked promising.

Mchunu confirmed last night that he would travel to Vhembe.

“I will have to go there. They are still briefing me about what they are expecting me to talk about,” he said.

He said that he was not “necessarily” going there to campaign for Ramaphosa, but “they want me to just address them about the ANC”.

“We normally campaign for the ANC rather than campaigning for Ramaphosa. But I would not have a problem talking about Ramaphosa, as much as I would not have a problem talking about many other leaders of the ANC,” said Mchunu.

He said he was not aware that he had been earmarked for a top position in the ANC.