There is no smoke without fire hence the sooner we accept that the rift between Senzo Mchunu and Sihle Zikalala does exist, the better for the ANC
Subsequent to reading Bongani Tembe's letter of denial about the perceived or real existence of the rift between Senzo Mchunu and Sihle Zikalala, I have decided to also publicly air my view just like Bongani Tembe has done. Since I read Bongani Tembe's letter that was published on the 20th of January 2014 by Politicsweb, I have voluntarily engaged on a ‘fact finding mission' with a intention of finding out if there is any truth to the rift that was firstly reported on the City Press publication few weeks ago.
I would avoid taking sides because I love the ANC and will vote for it until Jesus comes back since I believe that it represents my future, my hope and my vision. This is one reason that makes me to support all ANC leaders without fear or favor praying to God that those like Sihle Zikalala who hatch 5 and recently 20 years plans with their friends just because they cannot control their excessive love for money, material stuff and positions despite him having not even finished a single term of office as an ANC Provincial Official in KwaZulu Natal.
Without wasting any time, Bongani Tembe is correct in outlining the process of selecting people who will represent the ANC in the Provincial Legislature but he forgets that to remove anyone from the list does not require the process to be reopened. Instead, a political decision in a form of recommendation to the ANC National Executive Committee can be taken at the Provincial Deployment Committee level or Provincial Working Committee (where Sihle Zikalala has the majority of support) and rectified by the Provincial Executive Committee (where Senzo Mchunu has the majority).
For instance, Bongani Tembe must remember that when Zweli Mkhize correctly resigned as the Premier of KwaZulu Natal, it was the ANC PEC meeting (NOT Deployment Committee as often the case) that prioritized Senzo Mchunu's name as number 1 amongst three recommended names because of fear that Sihle Zikalala had a different view. I challenge you Bongani Tembe to provide evidence which disapproves this point since you might be privy to this information as a media liaison officer.
I must also remind you that recently we have just seen the flouting of organizational processes relating to the rebuilding of the ANC YL in KwaZulu-Natal just to ensure that a close friend of Sihle Zikalala (who is about to be over the age limit to be legitimate for election in the ANC YL) is elected as Provincial Chairperson of the ANC YL in KwaZulu-Natal. Another guy from Thulani Mashaba's dominant faction in Musa Dladla is touted as the Provincial Secretary of the ANC YL on one hand.
On the other hand, you have Sipho Hlomuka from a dominant Ukhahlamba faction who is considered to be very close to Senzo Mchunu contesting as the ANC YL Provincial Chairperson and Xolani Zuma from Musa Dladla Region as ANC YL Provincial Secretary. Xolani Zuma is a legal advisor to the Mayor of Uthungulu Municipality which happens to be the wife of Senzo Mchunu.
Again, I challenge Bongani Tembe to prove if this is not true because these are things are an open secret talked about by active members of the ANCYL especially in eThekwini and Musa Dladla Region. Bongani, please tell us if this is sheer coincidence and also tell us if its false that Sihle Zikalala is busy trying to get employment for Mdumiseni Ntuli either with the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature or ANC Caucus in order to consolidate his plan.
I was at the car wash in my township in Mayville on the Saturday afternoon of the 28th of January 2014 where almost three local youth league were also debating a concern held by others that it is a vote of no confidence to other Youth League members to ‘import' Mdumiseni Ntuli from Luthuli House to being the Provincial Chairperson of the ANC YL since he left in 2008 and that he will have to remote control the province from Johannesburg.
One of them strongly argued that by the time the Provincial Conference of the ANC YL sit, Mdumiseni will be working as a Senior Official either in the KZN Legislature or ANC KZN Caucus. I tried to ask some few questions from these guys including their names but they just ignored me and started accusing me of being an agent. However, what they said was confirmed by two eThekwini Regional Task Team members and one Youth League leader from Musa Dlalda.
Mr. Tembe, as a media liaison officer it is disappointing that you did not do your research properly because it is surprising to note how easy it is to verify the rift between the two leaders. This really does not need any rocket scientist since I challenge you to do your homework again. I was also told how Moses Mabhida Regional Congress of the ANC Youth League took place with no resolution except to say they support Mdumiseni Ntuli as the ANC YL Provincial Chairperson candidate.
I also leant how almost half of delegates to that Regional Congress chose not to attend because of complaints that there were lot of irregularities including the fact that there was no Independent Electoral Commission to monitor the election of leaders and that there was no sleeping accommodation for a Congress that was scheduled for three days but ended up taking 5 hours. It was also easy to found out how Xolani Zuma who was promised to be nominated sold out his own ANC faction only to sober up later when he was not nominated.
As if not enough, I found out that the other group which did not attend is very close to the ANC Moses Mabhida Regional Secretary who played a central role in having Senzo Mchunu being elected as Chairperson of the Province. You must also tell us if this is not true and that Sihle Zikalala apparently argued in the previous PEC meeting of the ANC that they should not intervene in the ANC Youth League continuing crisis of legitimacy.
It was also easy for me to find out - after interrogating an intoxicated ANC National Audit Team member whom I had arrange to meet in one restaurant in Durban North - how they have rigged ANC Youth League branch in Far North and disqualified Ukhahlamba Region from going on with their regional Congresses because they will not vote for the "boss".
On enquiring who the boss is, I was told that Mdumiseni Ntuli is their boss and they must make sure that he becomes the Youth League Chairperson of the Province and later to become the ANC Deputy Provincial Secretary as part of their 5 or 20 years plan. Mr. Tembe the unfortunate truth is that indeed there is a rift between Senzo and Sihle and carefully watching how the ANC YL rebuilding unfolds makes even a child to see that there is indeed more than what meets the eye here. As the English saying goes, there is no smoke without fire and it seems the fire is indeed burning and if the ANC denies this, many people and the KZN electorate will get burnt because we are going to be leaderless.
Mxolisi Motha is a PYA member in Durban University of Technology, Steve Biko Campus.
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