Women are the ANC's only hope - ANCWL in KZN

31st August 2017 By: News24Wire

Women are the ANC's only hope - ANCWL in KZN

The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) is the only wing of the majority party that can reunite KwaZulu-Natal, its provincial secretary said on Thursday.

"The only hope for the ANC is women. We are the only league in the ANC that has never been divided," Nonhlanhla Gabela told reporters following a recent provincial executive meeting.

"We see some tendencies that are beginning where people sow divisions. We believe comrades must come together," she said, referring to the state of the ruling party in the province.

A group of ANC members in KwaZulu-Natal have asked the Pietermaritzburg High Court to nullify the results of the party's 2015 provincial conference, at which Senzo Mchunu was ousted as ANC provincial chairperson and replaced by Sihle Zikalala. Judgment was reserved after the court heard the matter last week.

Gabela said divisions were caused by party members supporting one person. The matter should have been dealt with internally.

ANC councillor Lawrence Dube and four others brought the court case against the ANC in May 2016.

Respondents in the matter include Zikalala, his deputy Willies Mchunu, the ANC, and some of its leaders.

At the conference, Zikalala got 780 votes and Mchunu 675. A total of 1 459 delegates voted. Mchunu’s supporters demanded that the conference results be nullified, as they believed it had been rigged.

Gabela said she was part of the vote-counting team and nothing untoward happened.

"Even if the court says let's redo the conference. It is fine. I believe branches of the ANC wanted to be led by Sihle and they will still do so. Re-running is fine. Whatever the outcome, we want service delivery."