ANC’s newly elected leadership in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) says outgoing Premier Sihle Zikalala was not forced to resign after he failed to secure a second term as the ANC’s chairperson in the province.
Zikalala tended his resignation last Thursday, during the first meeting of the new ANC provincial executive committee (PEC).
His resignation came after he lost the influential provincial chairperson position to Siboniso Duma at the KZN ANC’s 9th provincial conference in July.
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Addressing the media on Monday, in Durban, ANC provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo said the PEC wanted to give clarity on Zikalala’s sudden resignation from office.
He said the provincial leadership wanted Zikalala to remain in office until the 2024 general elections, but he chose to step down.
“It is imperative that we give clarity on the decision by our comrade Sihle Zikalala, that he was never pushed to resign, but made an offer to us as the leadership, which we first declined.
“However, he made much persuasion which compelled this leadership to accept his decision as our senior and a cadre of our movement,” Mtolo said.
Nomusa Dube-Ncube to replace Zikalala
The ANC selected KZN Finance MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube as their premier candidate to replace Zikalala.
This after she was interviewed for the top post alongside KZN members of the provincial legislature, Mbali Fraser and Amanda Bani.
READ MORE: ANC announces Nomusa Dube-Ncube as KZN premier candidate
If elected in the provincial legislature as the next premier, Dube-Ncube would make history as the first woman to occupy the position since South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994.
Mtolo said Dube-Ncube was chosen for the job due to her seniority and experience in government.
“This is very crucial day for the ANC as we are making history by introducing officially and announcing the first women premier elect to the people of KwaZulu-Natal,” he said.
‘No acrimony as a result of resignation’
While the ANC wanted Zikalala to remain in office, Mtolo said the party had no choice but to respect his wishes to step down.
He said there was no bad blood between the new PEC and Zikalala, adding that the outgoing premier would continue to work with ANC structures in the province.
“We can assure the people of our beautiful province that there is no acrimony as a result of his resignation.
“As for the movement, we still have a lot of responsibilities that need his experience as a leader to serve our people and he has agreed to work with us in the provincial government,” Mtolo said.
Why Sihle Zikalala decided to quit
According to a Sunday Times report, Zikalala highlighted three issues to the PEC behind his decision to resign as premier.
These issues related to the alignment of the KZN provincial government with the ANC, his lack of authority because he was not elected in any structure of the party, and “mobilisation” against him by those who accused him of betraying former president Jacob Zuma.
Zikalala claimed there was a concerted campaign by some of his comrades to paint his leadership team as anti-Zuma and pro-Cyril Ramaphosa.
He said the claims that he betrayed Zuma were lies and part of a “total misinformation” campaign because he had always supported the former president.
“In preparation and post-conference it was used to mobilise against us. I decided to assist the ANC. Instead of the party going about explaining to people that I did not betray Zuma because I am still premier and my face is there, I felt it necessary to exit,” Zikalala was quoted as saying.
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