A number of African National Congress leaders in KwaZulu-Natal have warned that they will not support Premier S’bu Ndebele’s re-election at the 2007 provincial conference unless he shows decisive leadership over the Jacob Zuma saga.
“People have said that they will not vote for Ndebele unless he sits down and explains to them why [President] Thabo Mbeki released Zuma [as South African deputy president] before he was charged in court and why Mbeki appointed Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka [as Zuma’s successor],” said Bongani Mthethwa, the ANC sub-regional secretary in Msinga.
The Mail & Guardian spoke to leaders from eight of the 11 ANC regions in the province. They all disputed earlier media reports that certain disgruntled ANC regions and branches want to call for a special provincial conference to end Ndebele’s chairmanship of the party, but unanimously agreed that members were antagonised by the lack of political leadership over Zuma’s corruption trial.
“I can say for certain that 100% of our branches are unhappy with the way that Jacob Zuma has been handled, it is an issue that pitches up in each and every meeting,” said a leader in the Ethekwini region who wished to remain anonymous.
All the regional leaders the M&G spoke to said they were awaiting the outcome of a national executive committee (NEC) meeting held on September 9, which agreed that Zuma and Mbeki would meet and report back to the committee within a month on a working relationship plan.
Communication between the two ANC leaders has chilled since Mbeki sacked Zuma in May after Judge Hilary Squires, passing judgement during the corruption trial of Schabir Shaik, concluded that there had been a “generally corrupt” relationship between Shaik and Zuma.
The M&G understands from sources close to Zuma that he and Mbeki have yet to meet. At the national working committee meeting this week it was agreed that the two leaders would be given until the NEC meeting next Monday, where they are expected to present their joint plan.
The lack of leadership from the ANC’s top echelons is manifesting in growing grassroots discontent.
Simphiwe Mazibuko, the Ukhahlamba regional secretary, said that while he could not talk in detail, he could confirm that there is growing exasperation on the ground with the lack of provincial leadership.
In KwaZulu-Natal Ndebele has become increasingly unpopular since Zuma’s sacking. He is seen as Mbeki’s man because of his vociferous support for Mbeki to stand for a third term as president of the ANC.
“There is a strong feeling that Ndebele is behind Zuma’s troubles because of his pronouncements that Mbeki should serve a third term,” said the Ethekwini leader.
A plan by Mbeki’s lieutenants to explain the logic behind Zuma’s sacking to the grassroots in KwaZulu-Natal has been executed in only two regions.
Ndebele’s efforts to unite the ANC in the province were further thwarted last week when a 4 000-strong crowd attending the night vigil ahead of Zuma’s court appearance in Durban booed and threw missiles at him when he tried to address them.
At a sub-regional meeting in the Bhambatha region on Monday, a decision was taken to send a letter to Ndebele demanding that he, Zuma, ANC general secretary Kgalema Motlanthe or party spokesperson Smuts Ngonyama come and “explain the issues because people don’t know what is going on”, said Mthethwa.
He said that many ANC members believe that Zuma’s trial is underscored by ethnicity.
“People are saying that they are not willing to vote because this thing [Zuma’s trial] is a thing of the Xhosas against the Zulus,” he said.
A leader in the Far North region, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “Most people are confused about the issue of the president and the deputy president. They believe that Mbeki should have discussed his decision [to relieve Zuma] with the party first. They also believe that Ndebele knew about Mbeki’s decision before [he announced it].”
At a press briefing on Thursday morning called by the provincial ANC to address the booing of Ndebele last week, provincial secretary Senzo Mchunu acknowledged that there was a level of rejection of Ndebele’s leadership but said that this was linked to individual impressions.
“Statements pointing to [Ndebele’s] isolation from the rest of the leadership in the province and other things are also far fetched. He is one of the most settled provincial chairpersons in the country, enjoying full support of the provincial leadership and regional structures,” said Mchunu.