Durban - KwaZulu-Natal ANC heavyweight, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, has reportedly raised her hand to lead the governing party in the province.
By showing her willingness to join the fray, she is pitting herself against the incumbent chairperson, Sihle Zikalala, and possibly against AmaZulu FC chairperson, Sandile Zungu, and former provincial director-general (DG) Nhlanhla Ngidi.
According to a document of lobbyists, Dube-Ncube has agreed to join the race and be elected to lead the province from July this year.
“Comrades, let me give you an update as bona fide members of the ANC. We also wish to update all supporters of the ANC. KZN deserves a woman provincial chair. And it is Comrade Nomusa Dube-Ncube. Her views on the economy are inspiring, radical and a breath of fresh air. We have lost municipalities. The ANC with its rich history is no longer in touch with important constituencies such as the Shembe church – religious formations, traditional leaders, musicians and many other key stakeholders. We have opened a gap. We can't afford not to change the approach.
“We need a new programme of action that will help change the situation for the ANC. The answer is Comrade Nomusa Dube-Ncube. We have met with her and persuaded her to stand as provincial chair. She has agreed.
“We will accordingly nominate her. She has actually indicated that many comrades are calling. After our meeting with her, we are extending an invitation to branches of the ANC throughout the corners of this province – let us rally behind the ‘Game Changer’,” read a document that was signed off by Wiseman Ngobese.
Ngobese, who identified himself as the chief lobbyist for Dube-Ncube, confirmed that they were behind the document and they were mostly concerned with winning the hearts of branches, since they were the ones that elect leaders.
Furthermore, Ngobese said Dube-Ncube was now engaged in a consultation process where she was speaking to the ANC’s alliance partners (SACP and Cosatu) and other structures of the governing party to formulate a slate.
“What she is doing now is consulting broadly so that her slate is inclusive. The previous slate was formulated by the ANC Women’s League, and she is now trying to come up with an inclusive one,” Ngobese said.
The slate he was referring to is the one that was released by the provincial ANC Women’s League. In it, Dube-Ncube was nominated as chairperson, Nomagugu Simelane (current MEC for Health) as her deputy, Bongi Sithole-Moloi (current MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development) as the deputy provincial secretary and Peggy Nkonyeni (currently MEC for Transport) as the provincial treasurer.
Another ANC member who was listed as a lobbyist was Prince Bonga Zulu from the Mzala Nxumalo region (Zululand). He also said Dube-Ncube had accepted their call to contest for the position, and added that the campaign was well under way.
“We have the support of the branches in the region, and we shall conquer. The branches are on our side,” Zulu said.
In the ANC’s Far North region (Umkhanyakude), the Dube-Ncube lobby has placed its campaign on the shoulders of Mnotho Khumalo, who is based in Mtubatuba. Khumalo was optimistic that their campaign was on track, but cautioned that the Zikalala lobby was putting up a fight in branches around Hluhluwe.
“In Hluhluwe, the branches are divided between Dube-Ncube and Zikalala. Those who want her to lead the province are doing so because they like her views on township and rural economic empowerment,” Khumalo said.
Dube-Ncube did not respond when the Daily News asked her to confirm whether or not she had accepted the call to take on Zikalala.
The KwaMashu-born Dube-Ncube is the Finance MEC and the current treasurer of the ANC in the province. She was also the MEC for Economic Development and Tourism and Environmental Affairs.
Under the premiership of Dr Zweli Mkhize, she was the MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
Daily News