The ANC KwaZulu-Natal’s provincial task team (PTT) says delegates will decide whether they want unity leadership or whether positions will be contested at the upcoming provincial elective conference.
The long-awaited 8th provincial conference will take place from Thursday to Saturday at the Durban University of Technology’s sports centre, the PTT announced on Tuesday.
It was supposed to have taken place last month in Empangeni, but it was interdicted at the eleventh hour after some disgruntled branches took the party to court hours before the conference started.
“Yes, it’s true that we are encouraging a scenario where we could have an inclusive leadership as part of us forging the unity of the ANC, but that issue is an issue that will be determined by the delegates of the ANC who come from branches,” said PTT convenor Mike Mabuyakhulu.
The ANC KZN’s provincial executive committee was disbanded after the KwaZulu-Natal High Court in Pietermaritzburg ruled that the results of the November 2015 elective conference were unlawful.
‘Stumbling block’
PTT co-ordinator Sihle Zikalala said in the past few weeks, the PTT met regularly with members from the disgruntled branches who took the party to court “and finally agreed on an out-of-court settlement”.
“We engaged on different issues that were a stumbling block to the progress of the movement. The issues were resolved to pave the way for the conference. While there may have been certain areas of different interpretation of certain events, which is normal for a living organism like the ANC, we are united as ANC cadres in building a strong and united organisation,” said Zikalala.
READ: ANC KZN leaders sign agreement with disgruntled members, set new date for provincial conference
He added that the party’s national dispute resolution committee (NDRC), led by deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte, visited the province and dealt with appeals and grievances from the Lower South Coast, Moses Mabhida and Harry Gwala regions.
“The NDRC remained in the province until all appeals and grievances were adequately addressed,” said Zikalala.
Land question
The PTT also revealed that it would continue to engage with traditional leadership, including King Goodwill Zwelithini, “in an effort to build an overarching consensus on the best modalities to address this emotive issue of land redistribution”.
“We are very clear that at the time when the 1913 Land Act was passed, which was amended in 1936, they took away the native land and we were left with only 13%. It’s our argument as the ANC, that the land under amakhosi is part of the 13%. So, the state cannot expropriate what is already within the purview of the state,” said Mabuyakhulu.
He said the issue of the 13% land should not be confused with the issue of the amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution to make way for expropriation without compensation.
Mabuyakhulu said their plans to expropriate land without compensation would only focus on the 87% of land owned by the minority.
“You can talk about tenure rights, that is the matter that will come down the line. But for now, our focus is on the amendment of Section 25 of the Constitution,” said Mabuyakhulu.