Durban - ANC KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Siboniso Duma says he is not fixated on being at the helm of the government as it has been demonstrated in the past that chairpersons do not become automatic choices for premiers.
Today the ANC provincial leadership is set to announce its first woman premier candidate, with many people expecting Finance MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube to emerge as the winner of the three-way contest that included members of the provincial legislature Amanda Bani and Mbali Frazer.
Speaking to The Mercury yesterday, Duma said today’s announcement was a reflection of the governing party’s belief in women in leadership.
“What you will see is the emergence of a woman with a track record of working as part of the collective. Delegates of the ANC were emphatic that they wanted women to be part of the leadership, as they continue to demonstrate (leadership qualities) in many parts of society,” said Duma.
He also said that while they accepted Sihle Zikalala’s decision to resign as premier, they had been hoping that he would remain at the helm of the government, owing to the lessons learnt from the 2015 ANC KZN conference in which Zikalala defeated Senzo Mchunu.
He admitted that the issue of the two centres of power had remained one of the challenges for the governing party, and said they had been hoping to navigate the difficult period with Zikalala in charge.
“As revolutionaries, we must learn from past mistakes, and the fact is that serious divisions emerged following that conference (in 2015). We were mindful of that and were comfortable with being led by Khuzeni (Zikalala’s clan name), but he is a seasoned cadre and decided otherwise, and we accepted his decision. We did not have a problem with being led by him,” Duma said.
He added that while the opposition parties predicted that the ANC would be removed from power in KZN, he was confident that they would surprise many people with their performance in the 2024 general elections.
“KZN will not be governed through a coalition because this leadership will hit the ground running in delivering services to the people,” Duma said.
He also dismissed suggestions that he wanted to assume the premiership, pointing to other instances where provincial chairpersons had not been premiers.
“We have the case of comrade Ace Magashule, who was chairperson of the ANC in the Free State but was not the premier. The same thing goes for comrade Paul Mashatile, who served as Gauteng chairperson but was never premier,” Duma said.
He stressed that what was important was to ensure that the ANC continued to provide leadership at all levels.
University of KwaZulu-Natal political analyst Dr Fikile Vilakazi said the emergence of a woman as a premier was a moment that needed to be welcomed and celebrated, albeit with caution.
“What is important here will be the kind of support that the Women’s League will provide to the candidate, because they have been guilty of failing to support their own when it comes to leadership positions, sometimes supporting male candidates for leadership. So this is an important moment indeed,” she said.
She noted how the grouping known as the “Taliban” had been pushing for women to be supported, citing former mayor Zandile Gumede’s emergence as ANC eThekwini chairperson as a case in point.
She added that while there could be gestures to retain him in the cabinet, Zikalala was unlikely to want to remain there as it would be difficult to take instructions from somebody who had been a subordinate.
“I do not think he will accept a position of MEC because it would mean taking his orders from an individual that he used to lead. He may opt to remain as an MPL just as a way of having a steady income, but it is difficult to see him as an MEC,” said the analyst.
ANC Women’s League KZN co-ordinator Fikile Masiko said they were delighted at the prospect of a woman premier in KZN.
“The fact that only women were considered for this position is great news because it means we will have a female premier, and this is a moment worth celebrating,” she told The Mercury yesterday.
Masiko said the development was the result of the ongoing struggle for women to be recognised as equals when it came to leading the government.
While Duma remained mum about today’s briefing, party insiders have suggested that apart from the announcement of the premier candidate, the ANC is also likely to announce changes in the portfolio, with expectations that current treasurer Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba will take charge of one of the departments in the foreseeable future.