Farouk Chothia
THE ANC signalled its intention to prise support from the Inkatha Freedom Party in kwaZulu/Natal with the election last weekend of two traditional leaders to senior positions in the organisation’s new provincial executive committee (PEC).
Chief Zibuse Mlaba was elected deputy chairman at a provincial conference last weekend, while Chief Elpheus Molefe was elected an ordinary member of the PEC.
Mlaba’s victory was remarkable: the push for his election had come from branch delegates. There had been no serious lobbying for him prior to the conference, sources said.
A provincial MP, Mlaba defeated the MEC for roads and transport, Sibusiso Ndebele, for the job. Ndebele had been the favourite, with the backing of key figures such as incoming chairman Jacob Zuma, the sources added.
Ndebele’s defeat was partly attributed to the fact that he is an MEC, and the ANC’s rank and file is concerned that this will prevent him from concentrating on ANC activities.
Ironically, both Mlaba and Molefe are closer to the Marxist-Leninist Harry Gwala than to Zuma, a monarchist. The firebrand Gwala has built a long-standing relationship with both chiefs in an effort to strengthen the ANC’s support base in rural areas and provided them with strong support when their areas were racked by IFP-orchestrated violence.
Significantly, Gwala declined election to the PEC — in part because he has been overshadowed by Zuma and his radical views no longer hold sway in an increasingly moderate ANC.
Mlaba’s rise within the ANC hierarchy is significant: his is the highest position a chief has held in the organisation since the presidential reign of Chief Albert Luthuli.
ANC sources said there was a strong feeling among branch delegates that Mlaba’s election — and to a lesser extent that of Molefe (he is a Sotho from northern Natal) — was vital if the ANC is to reverse its April poll defeat in local government elections scheduled for next year.
The sources added there was acknowledgement at the conference that a strong urban following was not sufficient for an ANC victory and that rural areas would have to be penetrated. This was also reflected in the PEC: there was a geographical shift in power away from the predominantly urban southern Natal region to the peri-urban and rural constituencies of the Natal Midlands and northern Natal.
The only southern Natal-based leader to be elected as office-bearer was Zuma. Mlaba is from the Midlands and so is deputy secretary Sifiso Nkabinde and treasurer Zweli Mkhize, while the secretary, Senzo Mchunu, is from northern Natal.
ANC sources gave two reasons for Mchunu’s election: he held the post in northern Natal, giving him experience in the field, and he is not a parliamentarian, enabling him to concentrate full-time on rebuilding the ANC.
Mchunu has a task far more formidable then secretaries of other ANC provinces: he will have to spearhead the merger of three regions, which have a history of factionalism and power struggles. He will also have to deal with the fact that not a single, branch, zone or subregion in the province is functioning effectively.
The sources added that the conference had attempted to strike a balance between parliamentary and non- parliamentary representation on the PEC: 12 of the additional members are MPs; nine are not.
The stars of some parliamentarians appear to be on the wane within the ANC. Yunus Karrim, top of the provincial list for the national assembly, failed to be elected to the PEC. By contrast, Rob Haswell — who was not elected to parliament — was voted in as an regional executive committee member with the seventh-highest votes. Haswell’s absence from parliament has enabled him to dedicate his energies to local issues, giving him a higher profile in the province.
epresentation on the PEC is dismal, even though they comprise about 10 percent of voters in kwaZulu/Natal. Only one, provincial MP Yusuf Bhamjee, was elected to the PEC, partly because most Indian leaders were unknown to the predominantly African delegates. Sources said the PEC might now co-opt Indians.
No coloured person was elected to the PEC. Women also fared poorly, with only three elected to the 26-member PEC.