Remains to be seen whether Cyril Ramaphosa will close ANC KZN conference or not

In spite of assurances from ANC treasurer general Paul Mashatile that party president Cyril Ramaphosa would indeed arrive in KwaZulu Natal and close off its ninth provincial conference, it remains to be seen whether indeed he will be able to attend the event and deliver his message to delegates.

On Saturday evening Mashatile backtracked from his position of the previous day, telling journalists the party would hear from the presidency if Ramaphosa would be free to attend the event. This is at odds with his confident response on Friday – claiming that Ramaphosa was indeed set to arrive and address the conference.

KZN is the ANC’s largest province, which continues to show some resistance against Ramaphosa since his rise to power in 2017.

The province did not support his bid, it also emerged as the Nasrec conference’s biggest loser, failing to feature anywhere amongst the top officials, while some ANC members in KZN have taken an affront to the party on Ramaphosa’s watch over what they’ve defined as the “ill-treatment” of former president Jacob Zuma.

A popular song “Wenzeni u’Zuma” (what has Zuma done), has found expression during conference proceedings, with some members claiming they are registering their unhappiness with the current leadership over its approach to the former ANC president and head of state.

Zuma was also jailed for 15 months for being in contempt of the constitutional court last year. He is still on medical parole.

“What they were singing today was not directed at anyone but they want you as the leadership to note their concerns… The song Wenzeni u’Zuma has a history and therefore when delegates see leadership it’s an opportunity for them to say leadership take note of our pain, our complaints,” Mashatile told journalists on Friday, following the first open session of the conference.

Some delegates have already committed to booing the sitting president, should he show face, while posters calling for a picket outside the Olive Convention Centre, where the conference is taking place are being circulated.

“Picket of shame against Cyril Ramaphosa,” reads one poster linked to Carl Niehaus – a known Ramaphosa detractor, and close ally of Zuma and suspended ANC secretary general Ace Magashule.

As some make plans of registering their dissatisfaction with Ramaphosa, Eyewitness News understands discussions over whether he should or should not attend the event have been discussed at length, with some national executive committee members saying they have advised the president against attending the event.

“It won’t look good, he shouldn’t pitch here at all,” said one member.

There have also been suggestions that Ramaphosa’s security be beefed up, this despite previous threats of making the province a no-go zone for the politician failing to materialize.

At least two other NEC members have insisted the ANC president was not meant to close the conference, arguing that he was not on the programme, this they claim is in line with the outgoing provincial executive committee’s view that its un-ANC for the president to close a conference.

“The PEC view that it’s an official who opens the conference, with the newly elected chair closing the event should stand,” said one of the two senior ANC leaders.

However, Ramaphosa himself helped create a new trend that’s seen him arriving to close conferences in the Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape, and Limpopo. Mashatile delivered the closing address on behalf of the ANC in Gauteng when the party president was out of the country.

Officials from the ANC president’s office have said he had another event set for that day but was told of the importance of showing face in KZN – this is in line with a view of some of the ANC’s top officials, who claim Ramaphosa must learn to face a province where he faces the potential of mass resistance.

If indeed he shows up and is booed, it could simply be a precursor of what to expect next week when the ANC holds its policy conference in Johannesburg.

-EWN

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