Battle for control of South Africa’s newest political party, the National Democratic Convention (Nadeco), is set to enter the public arena this week when its leader, Dr Ziba Jiyane, opposes a court action to set aside the appointment of the party’s federal executive.
Last Thursday Vincent Ngema, one of two Nadeco national MPs suspended by Jiyane, filed papers in the Pietermaritzburg High Court to set aside the appointment of the party’s interim federal council at a meeting held on July 28.
On Sunday he said his action would ”restore the status quo”, handing power of the party back to the national executive committee (NEC).
The interim federal council on Friday called an urgent meeting and press conference.
However, on Saturday night Jiyane said: ”We cancelled the meeting to deal with this.”
He said his attorneys would be filing an opposing affidavit on Monday and he expected the matter to be heard in court on Tuesday or Wednesday.
The latest saga follows the tit-for-tat ”suspensions”.
Last Monday Jiyane announced that Ngema and fellow national MP Chris Ngiba as well the Reverend Hawu Mbatha — a member of the KwaZulu-Natal legislature — had been suspended for ”misconduct”.
The very next day a press conference was called by the NEC announcing that they had suspended Jiyane, as well as the party’s secretary general Professor Jabulani Maphalala.
The NEC accused Jiyane of running the party ”like a dictator” and that the interim federal council had been illegally constituted.
Jiyane then announced that those members calling themselves the NEC — a body he claimed did not exist — would be expelled from the party.
The party has been divided into two camps: those backing Jiyane, and those backing Reverend Hawu Mbatha. Jiyane and Mbatha have been at odds over who should replace John Aulsebrook in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature. Aulsebrook died in a motorcycle crash two months ago.
Jiyane’s recent meeting with Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi and the decision to end the working
relationship with the African National Congress in key municipalities has also raised the ire of some Nadeco members.
Nadeco was formed in September last year after Jiyane was axed by the IFP for having implied that Buthelezi was a dictator.
The party was the biggest beneficiary of last year’s floor-crossing period with four national MPs and four provincial
MPs joining the party.
Seven came from the IFP and Mbatha from the African Christian Democratic Party. It contested the March local government election and holds the balance of power between the Inkatha Freedom Party and the ANC in the important Umhlatuze (Richards Bay and Empangeni) municipality.
On Saturday the Nadeco leadership of the Uthungulu and Mkhanyakude districts in northern KwaZulu-Natal called a press
conference in Empangeni to announce their unfailing support for Jiyane.
Senzo Masuku, chairperson of Nadeco’s Mkhanyakude district, said: ”We don’t recognise them [those backing Mbatha] as our leaders.”
He accused Mbatha of being the ”ringleader in creating chaos”. — Sapa