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The ANC in eThekwini Region is inundated with queries from members of the fourth estate following a widely circulated footage of CEO of Business Leadership of South Africa and Eskom Non-Executive Director Ms Busisiwe Mavuso. 

In this footage she launches an unprovoked attack on the Regional Chairperson Cde Zandile Gumede and ANC NEC member Dr Zweli Mkhize.

From the outset, we believe that board members of state owned entities need to be accountable and in return they must receive full support from the executive.

For the record, the newly elected leadership has offered to work with captains of industry representing all sectors of the economy to ensure socio-economic growth, job creation and quality of life for the residents of eThekwini.  

The provision of adequate energy for household consumption and industries is therefore critical to achieve this. Unfortunately, with rampant loadshedding this remains a pipedream.

In terms of ensuring accountability on matters of load shedding,  we would have expected Ms Mavuso to detail what she has done to turn around the situation.  Instead, she has decided to deflect attention away from her shortcomings by singling out our regional chairperson  Cde Zandile Gumede for media headline inducing attack. 

We wish to remind Ms Mavuso that Cde Zandile Gumede has been investigated for four years, during which she has proclaimed her innocence. As a disciplined cadre of the ANC, she tendered her resignation on the 26th August 2019 as the member of the REC and Mayor of eThekwini Municipality.

Critically, she has never missed a day in court since she was arrested early in May and  charged only around 22-23  May 2020. 

It was the NPA’s inability to proceed with prosecution as they had to finalise their documentary evidence that led the case being delayed for this long.

We find the following statement by Ms Mavuso bizarre:- “If you still going to appoint Zandile Gumede who is a thief in eThekwini.”

Ms Mavuso as the CEO of Business Leadership SA - is silent about rampant corruption in the private sector.

Available public records and report published by PricewaterhouseCoopers shows that  South Africa’s rate of reported economic crime remains at 60%  - significantly higher than the global average rate of 47%.

The report paints a disturbing picture and singles out the following types of crime committed by the private sector – customer fraud, bribery and corruption, accounting/financial statement fraud, cybercrime, asset misappropriation, human resources fraud, deceptive business practices, procurement fraud, tax fraud and money laundering.  

The question that must be asked is - As the CEO of Business Leadership what has she done to address these challenges facing the nation?

On the matter of our Chair, Ms Mavuso has decided to convict  her without allowing jurisprudence to reach such a conclusion and going further to publicly defame her character by labeling her a thief whilst having never been found guilty of any such by a court of law.

We are left with a distinct impression that Ms Mavuso’s posture is a consequence of eThekwini Region Elective Conference result. She is mourning a outcome which failed to meet her expectations or those given her political briefings in corners.

We remain concerned that her level of attachment to ANC internal processes and dynamics have gone too deep for a board member of a state entity who should exercise professionalism and ensure an unbiased evaluation of facts and fiction around a political organization.

Prior to eThekwini Elective Conference, branches and delegates debated about and evaluated many of the talented leaders of the ANC in the context of who will best lead our organisation – they said Mkabayi is that person. When our members decided that Mkabayi would be the Chairperson candidate everything about her (both negative and positive) was known. Electing Cde Zandile was a conscious decision. As an expression of a democratic process it has to be respected. 

The mark of true democrats is to accept the due processes of democracy and not change goal posts if they dislike the outcome.

By and large, Ms Mavuso has demonstrated her lack of capacity to be accountable and to provide long lasting solutions towards ending the poverty of energy. It is for this reason that as eThekwini region, we are lining up meetings with captains of industry and experts in the energy sector.

We have an ambitious target to ensure that this region becomes an economic powerhouse, post COVID-19 and national disaster caused by floods. To achieve this we are determined to accelerate growth in the energy sector.

The key economic hub such as eThekwini Municipality, with more than 3, 721 million people, require considerable provision of energy to meet their industrial and domestic obligations. The very same fact that most industries, Dube Trade Port, Durban Port and largest automotive manufacturer Toyota SA,  implies that we are one of the largest electricity consumers in the country.

In conclusion, as the REC, we have resolved to approach Cde Zandile Gumede to encourage her to seek legal advice in order to decide on the next cause of action. Ms Mavuso has intentionally and unlawfully defamed our chair by calling her a thief without any form of conviction by a court of law.

Issued by the ANC eThekwini Region