Ambition: Zweli Mkhize aims to make a political comeback after resigning as health minister when it was alleged he benefited from the Digital Vibes contract. Photo: Rajesh Jantilal/AFP
ANC heavyweight Zweli Mkhize looks set to use the eThekwini or Musa Dladla regional conference to launch his campaign to become ANC president, depending on which region holds its conference first.
An insider with knowledge of the campaign strategy said the two regions are where Mkhize enjoys support. The Musa Dladla region is home to former president Jacob Zuma and former KwaZulu-Natal premier Senzo Mchunu.
The two regional conferences, set to take place in April, will be a litmus test of whether Mkhize can resuscitate his political career in the wake of damning corruption allegations.
Although branches have been at odds over whether eThekwini’s Thabani Nyawose or those aligned to Zandile Gumede will emerge to lead the party’s biggest region, both factions have publicly endorsed Mkhize to be included in the governing party’s top six. The Nyawose faction, which has ties to ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa, believes Mkhize should be the second-in-command, while those aligned to Gumede are said to prefer that Mkhize campaigns for the number one seat.
Mkhize, who resigned when allegations emerged that he, his family and close associates benefited from flouting procurement processes in the multimillion rand Digital Vibes communications’ contract, retreated to his home province in August, from where he has consolidated support.
The clearest signal that Mkhize was preparing a political comeback was in late February with social media video clips of party leaders in the influential eThekwini region making public endorsements during an ANC branch meeting at ward 1.
Considered an influential ward, having played the role of kingmaker in the Zuma years, ward 1 and eThekwini leaders formerly aligned to Ramaphosa sang Mkhize’s praises.
Provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli’s younger brother, Thembo, said members would take the fight for Mkhize to form part of the top six in the ANC’s next election to all wards and regions.
The provincial secretary has been a supporter and ally of Ramaphosa. Others who are known allies of Ramaphosa but endorsed Mkhize include Bheki Ntuli, who contested for the position of regional secretary on Nyawose’s slate.
Should his ambition for a top six position be realised, Mkhize could again find himself in a prominent cabinet position.
Mkhize was the minister of health when the Digital Vibes matter became known. The bypassing of procurement processes, dated from July 2019, when the health department initially wanted to give Digital Vibes a contract without inviting competitive bids, according to the Special Investigating Unit.
Although Ramaphosa has been at pains to convince South Africans of the ANC’s self-correction, the reemergence of Mkhize will be a blow to the ANC’s tarnished image.
Ramaphosa has been under additional pressure since one of his powerful allies, national chairperson Gwede Mantashe, was implicated in potential acts of corruption in the Zondo commission report on state capture.
The report recommended that Mantashe be investigated for corrupt dealings involving state contractor Bosasa (now African Global Operations), which upgraded security at two of his homes while he was the ANC’s secretary general.
Mkhize’s plan to garner support from the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal could make him the most powerful contender for the position of ANC president or deputy.
With KwaZulu-Natal behind him, Mkhize would only need to convince a few regions and smaller provinces to flip the conference in December.
Those who are committed to Mkhize’s revival say the Digital Vibes allegations and findings against the former health minister and his associates will not deter them.
Zamo Nxumalo, the Harry Gwala regional chairperson, believes that Mkhize is one of the “best the province has ever produced after [Sbu] Ndebele”.
“At the moment the ANC is looking at the youth but you can build on people like Mkhize,” he said. “We will pronounce ourselves once the conference opens officially.”
Nxumalo added that the region believed the province should not make the same mistake it did in 2017 at the ANC’s Nasrec elective conference, which left KwaZulu-Natal without a presence in the top six.
“In 2017 we were divided but we won’t make that same mistake again. We will try by all means as KZN when the time has arrived, we must be open and unite ourselves as before. We want to start uniting the provincial conference. When we are united with the same view then we can talk about the national conference,” he said.
Nxumalo said the province not being able to settle on one name had hampered its influence at Nasrec.
Another regional leader from the Moses Mabhida region, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mkhize’s viability would be decided at the regional conferences.
The regional leader said Mkhize still needed to do more to convince branches that he was the right candidate because Mchunu was also in the running.
“The problem with Mchunu is that he holds a grudge for what happened in the 2015 conference. If Mkhize can bring all these factions together and act as a unifier, he will have the support,” the regional leader said.
eThekwini regional task team member Siphiwe Bulose said they have already started to lobby other provinces and regions to support Mkhize.
“During his time in KZN, he institutionalised himself in so many regions in a way that even today, KZN regions are looking at him as a unifier. He persuaded regions to just form a collective; that approach to us is a correct approach that we need to pursue. As the eThekwini region, we are only left with 10 branches to reach the threshold for conference. The majority of the branches, if not all, agree to his name as someone who can participate in uniting KZN,” Bulose said.
An insider in Mkhize’s campaign said they may need to rethink their campaign strategy after news broke that the ANC’s national disciplinary committee and appeals body would be reconfigured.
The insider said that there was now growing concern that those who make early pronouncements to support Mkhize’s bid for presidency might be charged with misconduct as a result of the reconfigured disciplinary committee.
“We have to think long and hard of not giving ammunition or exposing people to opportunistic charges. The underlying reality is that we are preparing ourselves for the reality of campaigning for national leadership that is being manipulated,” they said.
The Mail & Guardian has previously reported that the ANC is planning an overhaul of its committees, with some prominent names outside of its national executive committee (NEC) likely to join the ruling party’s disciplinary committee.
A document compiled by the ANC’s national working committee (NWC) during its 28 February meeting — a copy of which the M&G has seen — proposes the restructuring of key committees, including those on economic development and the national disciplinary committee and its appeals body.
The former head of the National Prosecuting Authority, advocate Vusi Pikoli, who instituted the historic corruption charges against Zuma in 2005, will be among the ANC members tasked with disciplining party leaders.
The NWC has proposed that disciplinary committee chairperson Mildred Oliphant be replaced by Ralph Mgijima. Other proposed names are Thandi Orleyn who was part of the Save SA campaign, former deputy minister of basic education Enver Surty, former legal adviser in the former National Intelligence Agency advocate Kerensa Millard, and businessman Robinson Ramaite.
NEC members who have also been added to the list include Susan Shabangu, Faith Muthambi, Lindiwe Maseko and Nocawe Mafu.
The move has been criticised by some ANC secretaries, who say this is another move by Ramaphosa’s allies to usurp their powers.
A document compiled by the ANC’s national working committee (NWC) during its 28 February meeting — a copy of which the Mail & Guardian has seen — proposes the restructuring of key committees, including those on economic development and the national disciplinary committee and its appeals body.
Former head of the National Prosecuting Authority, advocate Vusi Pikoli, who instituted the historic corruption charges against former president Jacob Zuma in 2005, will be among the ANC members tasked with disciplining party leaders.
The NWC has proposed that disciplinary committee chair Mildred Oliphant be replaced by Ralph Mgijima. Other proposed names are Thandi Orleyn who was part of the Save SA campaign, former deputy minister of basic education Enver Surty, former legal adviser in the former National Intelligence Agency, advocate Kerensa Millard, and businessman Robinson Ramaite.
NEC members who have also been added to the list include Susan Shabangu, Faith Muthambi, Lindiwe Maseko and Nocawe Mafu.
The move has been criticised by some ANC secretaries, who claim that this is another move by Ramaphosa’s allies to usurp their powers.
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