THE ANC in KZN has defended the province's ANC chairman, Siboniso Duma after the ANC Women's League slammed him for allegedly undermining KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube because she is a woman.
This was after Duma, who's also the MEC for Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, was seen allegedly hijacking the moment for Dube-Ncube to lift Amabokoboko's Webb Ellis trophy as the provincial government leader.
The league came gun blazing and condemned Duma.
However, KZN ANC claimed Dube-Ncube agreed to allow Duma to lift the trophy.
KZN ANC secretary Bheki Mtolo said they rejected league's statement and attempt to isolate the provincial chair and weaken the ANC-led government.
"For the record, we have correspondence from Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube indicating that it had been agreed to allow Siboniso Duma to lift the trophy," he said.
"This was a collective decision, and at no stage did comrade Siboniso Duma impose himself."
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Mtolo said it's sad that the ANCWL has decided to be the loudspeaker of the chorus peddled by forces opposed to the ANC.
"Under normal circumstances, we would have expected the ANCWL to engage the ANC provincial leadership using internal processes instead of this reckless posture that is divisive and factional at its best.
"In particular, the less said about the author of the statement, ANCWL deputy secretary comrade Dina Pule, the better," he said.
Mtolo said Duma voluntarily informed the ANC that he was unavailable for deployment as premier in the interim period and suggested that a female be given a chance.
"It is under comrade Siboniso Duma as the chair that the ANC increased the number of women in the provincial executive council from five to six," he said.
"Historically, comrade Siboniso Duma was part of the leadership core of the ANC Youth League that championed the election of comrade Nomusa Dube-Ncube as the provincial deputy secretary of the ANC."
