The ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the party had anticipated former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede’s defection to the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, insisting her departure had come as no surprise.
Speaking after appearing before the TRC Cases Inquiry on Wednesday, Mbalula said the ANC had long been aware that former president Jacob Zuma and the MK Party intended to recruit Gumede ahead of the 4 November local government elections.
“I don’t think there were issues between us and Zandile. It is not really a shock because we knew the MK Party and Jacob Zuma would recruit her to become the face of eThekwini Municipality,” Mbalula said.
“It’s fine. The struggle continues. The ANC will work to serve the people of this country and will contest eThekwini.”
He said the ANC harboured no ill-feelings towards Gumede despite her decision to leave the party.
“We are not at war with, or have any regret about, Zandile. She has chosen a path. She has decided to follow her heart and the path of Jacob Zuma. It’s fine.”
Gumede’s move to the MK Party was officially announced during a media briefing on Monday, where she was unveiled as one of the party’s newest senior recruits.
She has been appointed deputy provincial convenor of the MK Party in KwaZulu-Natal, placing her among the party’s top provincial leadership ahead of the local government elections.
Asked why she had decided to join the MK Party, Gumede declined to elaborate on the reasons behind her departure from the ANC.
“The only thing I will say is that I am grateful to be welcomed with such warmth in this organisation,” she said.
MK Party secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo described Gumede as one of several former ANC members who had recently joined the organisation.
“Today we welcome members from ‘kwagogo’, the ANC,” Nomvalo said.
He urged the party’s new recruits to immediately begin campaigning ahead of the November elections.
“We encourage all new members to hit the ground running and give us victory come November 4.”
Meanwhile, Mbalula said the ANC was in the final stages of selecting and vetting its mayoral candidates for the upcoming local government elections.
He said the party had largely completed interviews for mayoral candidates across the country and expected to conclude the process within days.
“We are very much on track. It has been a very rigorous process,” he said.
“We are almost done with the metros. By the end of the week, we’ll be done with the secondary cities.”
According to Mbalula, the remaining work includes final vetting before the ANC formally announces its mayoral candidates over the next two to three weeks.
“I see speculation about this and that. Wait for the ANC. The ANC will speak for itself and unveil its mayors.”
Mbalula said the internal selection process had also exposed weaknesses in the party’s deployment system and highlighted some of the governance challenges facing municipalities.
“It has highlighted some of the weaknesses we have had in the system from the point of view of deployment and the challenges we are facing in local government,” he said.
He added that the ANC was preparing to officially launch its local government election campaign in August once the candidate selection process had been completed.
“We’re completing the selection process of the mayors of candidates. We’re selecting more than 10 000 candidates,” Mbalula said.
“In every ward contested by the ANC we have held public meetings and branch general meetings. The process will come to light over the next two to three weeks as we prepare for local government.”