Jaspreet Kindra
The African National Congress’s membership figures in KwaZulu-Natal are to be audited for a second time this year, amid complaints that the recount is a side-effect of the power struggle between provincial party chairperson S’bu Ndebele and his deputy Zweli Mkhize.
“There is such a feeling of distrust everybody is suspicious of each other,” said a party member. Other party members welcomed the audit, saying it was better to ensure matters were above board, given the fierce contest for the top position.
Ndebele narrowly won the party chair in the last provincial election, defeating Mkhize by 21 votes. The next provincial conference is likely to take place in the first week of December.
Some KwaZulu-Natal branches were reconstituted after an audit earlier this year. This was launched by the ANC’s national executive committee after the discovery that recruiting agents were signing application forms on behalf of would-be members.
In some cases there was a suspicion that forms were fraudulently signed to strengthen the support bases of Ndebele or Mkhize. Members were also advised to establish one branch per municipal ward.
Branches, whose membership determines how many delegates they may send to the conference, were informed of the new audit two weeks ago. Many have been asked to resubmit their membership packs for scrutiny by next week.
The recount has delayed the establishment of regional leadership structures, a prelude to the election of provincial leaders. It will involve the verification of signatures on each application for party membership.
ANC provincial spokesperson Mtholephi Mthimkhulu insisted that there was no second audit and that the province was merely continuing the process initiated by the national executive committee.
However, he admitted that the process was moving at a “snail’s pace All information on our members is fed into our database and we have only one computer system.”
Mthimkhulu dismissed as “a thumbsuck” claims that the rivalry between Ndebele and Mkhize was a contributing factor.
Party sources say Ndebele is under pressure because of the ANC’s performance in last year’s local elections in KwaZulu-Natal. The ANC won only one of the nine district councils, with the others going to the Inkatha Freedom Party.
The IFP also won 28 local councils, adding former ANC municipalities such as Ladysmith, Greytown and Newcastle to its tally.
At an ANC general council meeting two weeks ago Ndebele accused the IFP of reneging on its promise to give more provincial cabinet posts to the ANC. Some ANC insiders saw this as a move to appease members unhappy with the ANC’s relationship with the IFP.
Mkhize, whose power base is the Midlands, is considered close to Deputy President Jacob Zuma, and was widely seen as Zuma’s candidate for the party chair’s position in the last elections.
Since the local elections, Mkhize seems to have made inroads in urban areas, including Ndebele’s stronghold of Durban.
Party sources interpret Ndebele’s recent acquisition of a farm outside Pietermaritzburg as a sign that he is targeting Mkhize’s support base.