The KwaZulu-Natal ANC provincial leadership is expected to decide on the fate of prominent South African Communist Party leader and former KwaZulu-Natal Education MEC Peggy Nkonyeni.
Nkonyeni was one of the former KZN MECs who were made technically unemployed after the former KZN Premier Senzo Mchunu was recalled in May 2016. That was shortly after his bid for re-election as chairperson of the ANC in KZN was defeated by Sihle Zikalala at the November 2015 ANC provincial conference.
Now Nkonyeni’s name tops the list of three people that the ANC in the Lower South Coast Region, Nkonyeni’s home base, wants to be appointed as mayor of Port Shepstone-based Ugu District Municipality.
The position of the mayor became vacant in December 2016 when Tolomane Mnyayiza died after a short illness. Apart from being Ugu District mayor, Mnyayiza was also the ANC’s Lower South Coast regional chairperson.
As she holds no formal position in the ANC, Nkonyeni is also eligible to enter the race to lead the ANC in the region. The regional conference is expected to be held by April at the latest.
Sipho Dlamalala, the ANC’s Lower South Coast regional spokesman, told BDlive on Monday the region had asked Nkonyeni before nominating her for mayor and she indicated her willingness to serve.
He said the region had submitted a list of three names — Nkonyeni, ANC deputy regional chairperson and deputy mayor of Ugu District Municipality Mondli Chiliza and Ugu District Municipality Speaker Ntombifikile Gumede — to the party’s provincial leadership.
The provincial executive committee now had to decide which of the three candidates would be chosen as mayor. "We expect the PEC to give us guidance on this matter before the end of this month [January]," Dlamalala said.
He added that all three candidates would be eligible to contest elections for the ANC regional leadership in a conference that is still being planned.
Super Zuma, the ANC’s provincial secretary, was not available for comment on Monday.
Sifiso Kunene, a KwaZulu-Natal-based independent political analyst, said it would be interesting to see who the PEC would endorse, as Nkonyeni had "a checkered past with the current PEC".
"First she stood for the position of deputy chairperson in the (former Premier) Senzo Mchunu’s leadership slate during the last provincial conference and lost. When the current PEC tried made overtures to her and tried to co-opt her as one of the few additional PEC members, she unceremoniously declined the invitation. When she was recalled in her deployment as the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for education, she decided to quit as an MPL.
"Perhaps the PEC could use this opportunity to appoint her and try to reach out to the other side. Even if that were the case she could still face stiff opposition from other ANC regional power brokers who will be loath to allow an outsider to occupy such an important position," Kunene said.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.