Durban - ANC secretary-general hopeful Mdumiseni Ntuli has maintained that he is contesting the position based on the support he is receiving from the branches and is not aligned with any slate or faction.
The former ANC KZN provincial secretary, who described himself as a principled leader, said he was prepared to serve under any leader who will emerge victorious when the organisation holds its 55th elective conference in just a month.
The front runners for the presidency include, incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa, NEC member, Dr Zweli Mkhize, Deputy President David Mabuza and Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
Ntuli, 44, cut his teeth in politics when he was a student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where he earned a master's degree in politics.
He has been a servant of the ANC since then and had a 10-year stint at the party's headquarters, Luthuli House in Johannesburg, as the national organiser before he returned to KZN.
With the race for the top six leaders gaining momentum Ntuli has kept his association a secret, and instead focused on his campaign.
Ntuli’s campaign for the party's key position comes after he lost his re-election bid as the provincial secretary in July, which he believed he lost based on factionalism and not his individual performance.
He revealed that he was lobbied to join the Taliban faction that made a clean sweep in KZN, but refused as it was against his principles.
“There was no valid reason to remove Zikalala (former premier Sihle) and I was not sold on the idea to contest against him, so I refused based on that and I was removed as a result,” he said.
However, Ntuli was adamant that his name will be on the list of those who will be included on the ballot to be elected, based on the support he has received from branches even outside his province.
He admitted that the party was in crisis and urgent change was needed before the 2024 general election. Ntuli would not be drawn to comment on his preferred presidential candidate.
But his branch, KwaXimba, in Cato Ridge which nominated him for the SG position, wanted Ramaphosa to be re-elected for a second term.
However, Ntuli refused to associated with Ramaphosa.
He said this was a common notion for him to be associated with the “Ankoles” but said it was baseless. He said he had challenged the president on various issues within the party and in public.
On his campaign trail, Ntuli believed his extensive experience within the ANC ranks would make him a better man for the job and help revive the party to regain voters' confidence.
"Working in Luthuli House exposed me to all regions of the ANC, I understand all their dynamics and the complexity of them, which I believe will help me address the current issues the organisation is facing.
“I was the secretary of the biggest ANC province with many complex issues but we gave our best to forge unity. It would have been great to be re-elected because I feel that I did not finish what I started,“ he said.
On the state of the ANC, Ntuli lamented the absence of the SG which he believed had an impact on the poor showing in the local government elections last year.
The SG, Ace Magashule, was suspended as per the ANC step-aside rule after he was charged with corruption when he was Premier of the Free State.
Ntuli said the SG position was the most critical as it dealt with the day-to-day operations of the ANC, including preparing for campaigns and elections.
Ntuli said his experience would come in handy should he get elected to make a meaningful impact before the 2024 general election, which would be a defining moment of the ANC’s fate.
“In 2017, KZN came from the conference with nothing and divisions were becoming worse but we managed to bring stability and run smooth regional and provincial conferences.”
While Ntuli was confident that he had amassed support from various provinces across the country, his home province snubbed him when the KZN PEC announced its preferred top six leaders in September.
In reaction to that, he put his faith in the branches saying it has always been a culture of the ANC to let them decide.
To turn the situation round, Ntuli said he would want to see all former presidents of the ANC together speaking in one voice to help other members to reconcile for the benefit of the party.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE