Newly elected African National Congress (ANC) chairperson in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Siboniso Duma said former president Jacob Zuma has advised on how to unite the province and fast-track economic wealth and land redistribution across the province.

The KZN ANC leadership who visited Zuma at his Nkandla homestead over the weekend said it was important to refocus attention on the vision of the ANC to build a compassionate and caring society.

Duma said the new leadership was inspired by Zuma, who was at the core of ensuring that there was no need for Africans to fight amongst themselves, referring to the ANC and Inkatha Freedom Party in the 80s.

When asked about the discussions relating to the upcoming ANC Elective Conference in December, Duma said the ANC leadership was not fixated on the conference but that they debated how to maintain the power of the ANC in KZN, as well as the ANC in governance after 2024.

“It is fundamental for us to visit him because the process from now onwards is that if you want to change the country, make sure that you mainstream the economy back to the people and to address unemployment,” said Duma.

Duma added that the leadership plans to visit other former ANC leaders including former president Kgalema Motlanthe.