Africa-Press – South-Africa. The leadership of the region that disrupted President Cyril Ramaphosa’s political report to the ANC’s elective conference on Friday have slammed the “hooliganism” from within their ranks.
Regional secretary of the ANC’s Musa Dladla region in KwaZulu-Natal, Nkosinathi Xulu, told News24 that they took exception to their delegates’ unruly behaviour at the opening of the ANC’s national conference.
The Musa Dladla region is Zuma’s home region.
Dladla said that the regional leadership did not sanction the move to cheer former president Jacob Zuma and boo Ramaphosa, and reprimanded those who had led the disruptions.
“We cannot support hooligans. If you are a member of the ANC, you are given power to represent your branch. You have to represent your branch. You cannot boo anyone. There is no way you can boo anyone speaking at a conference of the ANC,” Xulu said.
He said regional chairperson Musa Cebekhulu had read the regional delegation the riot act, saying their behaviour would cost them dearly if it continued.
The disruption is also said to have included delegates from the Moses Mabhida and eThekwini regions.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is leading the push for Ramaphosa to be replaced as party president by former health minister Zweli Mkhize.
Provincial leaders said the disruptions by the grouping loyal to Zuma would throw a spanner in the works of their plan to elevate Mkhize to the helm of the party.
ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe stood ready to eject the unruly delegation from KwaZulu-Natal by calling ANC security.
However, interventions by provincial leaders Siboniso Duma and Bheki Mtolo simmered the tensions, and Ramaphosa continued delivering his political report with few interruptions thereafter.
But the KwaZulu-Natal delegation was rapped over the knuckles once the conference adjourned on Friday.
This prompted frantic discussions over the strategy of the anti-Ramaphosa grouping, who concluded that the disruptions would derail their efforts to successfully defeat the president and his allies.
Two sources party to the late-night discussions said the regional leadership from Musa Dladla and Moses Mabhida regions were told that their delegates would be “isolated” and “left in the cold” if they allowed ill-discipline to continue.
Ramaphosa’s vehement opponents in the party have sought to disown the grouping of Zuma-loyalists, saying their behaviour would harm their moves to remove Ramaphosa from the party’s top spot.
Xulu said the heckling was not endorsed by the regional and provincial leadership.
“It was not our plan. That behaviour would be an own goal for us,” he said.
An ANC leader from KwaZulu-Natal said the pandemonium was caused by Zuma’s mobilisation among his supporters to prevent Ramaphosa from delivering the opening address.
Zuma told supporters in the run-up to the conference that they should not allow a “crook” to address them.
The former president made these remarks while addressing MKMVA members in Ekurhuleni.
Ramaphosa’s opening of the conference got off to a shaky start on Friday as delegates from KwaZulu-Natal threw the kitchen sink at the president, who struggled to maintain order.
Delegates from the province were relentless in voicing their dissatisfaction with Ramaphosa.
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