ANC KwaZulu-Natal chair Sihle Zikalala is caught between a rock and a hard place – with divided loyalties between President Cyril Ramaphosa and his predecessor, Jacob Zuma.
But he has to choose, otherwise he would soon find himself in political wilderness with both sides denying him.
Zikalala and provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli attended this week’s Zuma corruption trial in Pietermaritzburg and, later, Zikalala spoke at a public gathering alongside suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule and party NEC member Tony Yengeni – both avowed opponents of Ramaphosa.
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Zikalala and Ntuli were booed by Zuma followers, who did not take kindly that they wanted to please both camps.
The move contradicted the stance taken by the KZN ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) to support the national executive committee’s (NEC’s) step-side rule and Magashule’s suspension.
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KZN recently emphasised that it aligned itself with the NEC position and that there was no contradiction in its stance.
Outside the court, Zikalala went further to promise that as the PEC, they planned to negotiate with the NEC about Zuma’s matter. He did not elaborate but as he was speaking, some in the crowd of Zuma supporters booed and others showed the hand-spinning sign calling for leadership change.
For years, prior to the 54th ANC conference in Nasrec, Zikalala had been Zuma’s loyalist and a critic of Ramaphosa. He and the KZN leadership campaigned for Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who contested Ramaphosa for the ANC presidency at the conference.
But after he was appointed as premier by Ramaphosa, his allegiance began to change to tilt towards the president.
Similarly, the PEC had been advocating a neutral stance that mainly gravitated in Ramaphosa’s favour. But the court attendance by Zikalala and Ntuli surprised many as it was not expected after they backed the step-aside rule and the action against Magashule.
Zikalala’s support for Zuma and his statement prompted an angry reaction from the party’s Luthuli House headquarters, which was concerned. The party felt that appearing and making public statements in support of someone charged with corruption contradicted its on position on graft.
The ANC had said members were free to attend the Zuma trial in their personal capacity but were prohibited from wearing or displaying party colours. Some supporters wore ANC colours and the move by Magashule, Yengeni and Zikalala was seen by the party as an act of defiance.
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The presence of ANC big shots at a corruption trial gave an impression that they supported graft and that it was divided on its decision to act against those charged with corruption and other serious crimes.
Zuma has been charged with corruption, fraud and money laundering, among others, emanating from the 1999 multibillion rand arms deal.
NEC member and national spokesperson Pule Mabe lashed out at the NEC members. He said the NEC and the ANC national working committee would deliberate on the matter.
“When we meet again, either in the NWC or in the NEC, we shall be able to reflect on the developments, especially what we saw yesterday [Monday], including the conduct of some of our own NEC members who decide to go against decisions of the NEC – decisions that are taken in meetings that they’re present in,” he said during an interview on SABC’s Morning Live.
“If you’re in a meeting of the NEC and a decision is taken, even if you do not like it, you don’t break ranks and speak against the decisions of the collective. That’s ill-discipline. You’ve got to use the structures of the organisation to be able to ventilate and express your own views.”
ericn@citizen.co.za