KwaZulu-Natal ANC PEC assures regional leaders it did not abandon Jacob Zuma

The ANC provincial executive committee (PEC) in KwaZulu-Natal has assured regional party leaders who visited former president Jacob Zuma that they have nothing against the retired leader.

Their discussion took place at a weekend PEC meeting after a visit to Zuma's Nkandla homestead by newly elected regional leaders before the provincial elective conference.

“We did not know the agenda as it was an initiative of regional chairs and secretaries as they were meeting to try to thrash out consensus for the provincial conference,” spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela told TimesLIVE.

The PEC thought it prudent to give the assurance as “the majority are new. Only about four to six of them have been there before,” he said, referring to regional chairs and secretaries.

“So the historical context of what was done to support JZ must be given to them because a lot of disinformation is being circulated that we hate baba.

“They went to meet the old man to introduce themselves and seek advice or wisdom of how to lead and navigate the challenges facing the organisation across the country, not only in the province. So it was not necessarily about [the] provincial conference and its outcome consensus.”

Zuma's region of Musa Dladla was first to visit him shortly after being elected. 

The regional leaders said they would push for a review of the ANC decision to discourage party members from rallying behind Zuma during his court appearances.

‌The delegation that met Zuma last week said they went there to seek “political wisdom” before the July conference.

TimesLIVE