ANC’s historical dominance in KZN can’t be attributed to Zuma: Mantashe

The ANC’s historical dominance in KwaZulu-Natal cannot be solely attributed to the party’s former leader Jacob Zuma.

Zuma, who has now defected to the MK Party, has always been a national figure and was never really a regional leader who can be applauded for the ANC successes in the province. This is according to ANC national chair Gwede Mantashe, who on Thursday argued that the long-standing narrative that it was the Zuma factor that led to the party winning KZN outright was false. 

The ANC won KZN for the first time in 2004 and was able to install its first premier, S’bu Ndebele. The party’s stronghold in KZN increased by a huge margin — from 46.9% to 62.9% — in 2009 when Zuma was elected the party’s president.

Zuma's emergence as party president was said to have had an impact on the party’s majority in KZN, his home province.

But Mantashe sought to dismiss this notion, saying Zuma could not have had that much influence.

Instead, Mantashe argued, people who should be hailed for the ANC’s dominance in KZN are national executive committee members Sihle Zikalala and Senzo Mchunu, who were based in the province.

“Zuma was never a leader here except for when he was [MEC] of economic affairs. He has always been a national leader of the ANC so he cannot be doing work here when he’s national. So it’s not him, you better say Sihle or Macingwana [Senzo Mchunu], the leaders of the province at the time,” said Mantashe.

According to Mantashe, the ANC wants to go back to when they had strong regional leaders in KZN.

He said they were trying to do this through the party’s chair in the province, Siboniso Duma, whom he described as “brave” for his mic-grabbing stunts.

Mantashe was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of his campaign trail in Richards Bay in the province.

Mantashe is part of the ANC’s strategy to intensify its campaign in the province that is believed to be slipping away from it.

Polling suggests the ANC will lose control of KZN in the May 29 election.

Mantashe was at a local taxi rank in Richards Bay, a stronghold of the IFP, where he engaged prospective voters, some of whom sharply raised their concerns with the party.

Though some said they were ANC supporters at heart and would vote for it later this month, they sharply criticised the party for coming to them only when they needed their votes.

Nkosazana Mdletshe, a hawker who sells food at the taxi rank, unleashed her wrath on Mantashe, refusing to listen to him.

“What will listening to you help me with because I’ve known you for a long time and you’ve never came to visit us here?” she said, looking away.

She said she appreciates the fact that government was able to build the place that houses all their shops, but she has six children, all unemployed and reliant on her for support. She said while people were suffering, the political parties were expecting to get their votes, which would benefit only the same politicians.

“I’m not going to listen because I’ve been poor for a long time. I love the ANC, but how will I be able to vote for it when all you care about is my vote and you’ve never seen me as your child and never came to visit just to check up on me, just to check if I am alive? That’s important,” she said.

Asked about his engagement with Mdletshe, Mantashe said it was wrong to focus on one negative engagement out of the many positive ones he’s had.

He said such heated engagements were normal during a door-to-door campaign.

TimesLIVE