Former KZN ANC provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli vows to put the ANC & country first

Former ANC KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli, who is the frontrunner in the race for the party’s national secretary-general position, has assured his supporters he will return the favour by putting the ANC first.

According to the ANC branch nomination results announced by the party’s electoral committee chairperson, former president Kgalema Motlanthe, Ntuli was nominated by 1 225 branches across the ANC’s nine provinces.

Ntuli’s rival, former Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle received 889 endorsements, while Transport minister Fikile Mbalula, who is also vying for the same secretary-general position, garnered 749 nominations.

Not taking support for granted

Speaking to the publication on Thursday, Ntuli, who is currently a member of the ANC KZN provincial executive committee (PEC), said he was not taking the ANC branches’ support for granted.

I’m deeply humbled and honoured by this overwhelming confidence displayed by the ANC structures and membership throughout the country.

It’s an honour and I commit myself to never disappoint their expectations. I will put the ANC and the people of this country first.

Ntuli, who cut his political teeth in student politics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) where he rose to the position of student representative council (SRC) president, was elected ANC provincial secretary during the party’s highly-contested 2018 KZN elective conference.

A former ANC KZN provincial spokesperson, Ntuli in September announced that he would make himself available to contest the ANC secretary-general position at the party’s national elective conference scheduled for December.

This was after a number of ANC branches from across the country had requested him to stand.

But Ntuli’s decision to contest the ANC secretary-general position did not sit well with the party’s KZN leadership, which wants former Eastern Cape premier Masualle to occupy the position.

ANC PEC’s decision to back Masualle over Ntuli

Despite the ANC provincial leadership encouraging ANC KZN branches to endorse Masualle instead of Ntuli, a substantial number of branches in the province went on to nominate Ntuli.

While the ANC electoral committee did not provide a breakdown on how each of the party’s nine provinces voted, documents obtained by The Witness show that 241 of the provinces’ branches nominated Ntuli.

While there was speculation that the ANC KZN leadership could change its position on Ntuli, the party’s provincial spokesperson, Mafika Mndebele, said the KZN leadership was sticking to its guns.

As KZN we are backing comrade Masualle for the position. Nothing has changed.

Out of all the 16 candidates who have been nominated by ANC branches to contest next month’s elective conference, Ntuli was the only candidate not featured in the various slates created by those lobbying for various ANC leaders.

Ntuli, who hails from the ANC’s biggest branch in KwaXimba, eThekwini, said he was grateful that his name is not featured in the slates.

In fact, I see it as a blessing, particularly if one were to take into account that in its 2017 national conference the ANC resolved to do away with slates.

The KZN ANC leadership decision to endorse Masualle over Ntuli did not only upset some in the province, but it also caused unhappiness within the party’s Eastern Cape provincial structures.

ANC provincial chairperson Oscar Mabuyane, who is also the Eastern Cape premier, said KZN’s decision to endorse Masualle was designed to “divide the Eastern Cape”.

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