FORMER premier Willies Mchunu’s resignation from the party has sparked reactions from the ANC's Tripartite Alliance partners, the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), who are preparing to meet with Mchunu this week.
Both SACP and Cosatu have expressed a deep appreciation for Mchunu’s contributions to the province’s political landscape, signalling their intent to engage him on a fact-finding mission as they were worried about his resignation.
SACP provincial secretary Themba Mthembu said, “We are going to sit down with him as we were shocked to hear about this because we believe that he still has a huge role to play in politics.”
Despite the eagerness from SACP and Cosatu to meet with Mchunu, uncertainty looms over the nature of their discussions.
It remains unclear whether they will urge him to withdraw his resignation from the ANC or potentially welcome him back into their leadership structures, which he previously led.
This ambiguity is underscored by ANC provincial spokesperson Mafika Mndebele's remarks, branding Mchunu as a "tribalist and factionalist" who was out of step with the party's foundational goals.
Mthembu said Mndebele’s comments, were "unfortunate" and expressed concern over the ANC losing a leader of Mchunu’s stature.
“We don’t have a reason as to why the KZN ANC leadership would say something like that but we believe that every organisation must be worried about losing a leader of Mchunu’s calibre,” he said.
Mchunu's resignation comes after what he described as being undermined and isolated by the ANC provincial leadership, a situation that he attributed to his criticisms of the ANC-DA-led Government of National Unity (GNU).
He told the Sunday Tribune that his departure from the ANC did not equate to him exiting the political arena altogether.
"After the process of engagements, I will announce my next step, which could include applying for membership of another party amongst existing parties," Mchunu said.
He did not disclose whether or not he would join the Umkhonto Wesizwe Party (MKP), saying he would only make a disclosure after engagements with the structures of the ANC and its alliance partners.
Cosatu’s provincial secretary, Edwin Mkhize, said “I don’t think anyone should celebrate his resignation.
“Historically, Willies led almost all the alliance partners. We are engaging with him because it would not be an ordinary thing that a person of his status pronounces such a big thing and we don’t approach him to understand what is happening.”
Mndebele's hostility toward Mchunu highlights a prevailing rift within the ANC.
He questioned Mchunu’s adherence to the party’s core principles, accusing him of fostering division.
“You don’t endorse factionalism, you don’t divide structures of the movement and you don’t mobilise based on a tribe,” he argued.
Mndebele said the ANC stood against tribalism, and factionalism which Mchunu went against.
“He said when they were in the leadership in KwaZulu-Natal they used to divide other provinces, protecting Zuma and ensuring that KwaZulu-Natal was always elevated against other provinces.
“That is the worst thing to be said by someone who is a member let alone a veteran of the organisation,” he said.
Another ANC veteran Mavuso Msimang resigned from the ANC last year but later withdrew the resignation after engaging with the party.
Mndebele alleged that Mchunu’s ideas were worse and were “rotten that would make the entire organisation rot and die a natural death.”
“As a result, we believe he is no longer identified with the core principles of the ANC,” said Mndebele.
As the battle lines are drawn, Mchunu's next steps remain under watchful scrutiny, with speculation emerging that he may soon embrace the MKP.
The MKP's provincial chairperson, Ndaba Gcwabaza, has welcomed the possibility of Mchunu joining the MKP, asserting that, “Such people have a wealth of experience, a deep-rooted commitment to the National Democratic Revolution.”