ARGUABLY the most hotly contested jurisdiction in the country, the ANC Musa Dladla region is home to South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma and KZN Premier Senzo Mchunu.
A string of cabinet ministers and ‘heavyweights’ of the ruling party also hail from this region, cementing it as a historical battleground for power.
It was therefore no surprise that the run-up to the region’s sixth elective conference at the weekend turned into a fiery clash between leadership contenders, incumbent Thulani Mashaba and newcomer Cedric Gcina, exposing divisions and underlying faction tensions within the party.
It was an outright majority vote in favour of Mashaba, but not without controversial undertones.
Gcina’s absence at the conference together with his entire Ward 1 branch was definitely a talking point.
Gcina’s branch was disqualified following an audit conducted by the party’s national and provincial structures.
There has since been questions whether his ‘technical’ exclusion was ‘orchestrated’ to ensure a smooth process and undisputed win.
Whatever the scenario, Mashaba’s formidable leadership, strength in numbers and loyal support was unwavering, ensuring he retained his position.
But where to from now?
Serving the people
In vying for the top spot in the political arena, one question sums it up aptly. Do individuals seek the position because they crave power or is it because of a genuine desire to serve the people?
Mashaba’s first duty is to mend a somewhat disjointed region and he is willing to embrace his opponents.
Following the ‘let bygones be bygones’ approach, Mashaba said they would also not turn a blind eye to the ‘foreign tendencies’ witnessed on the road to the election.
But unity is not just the cornerstone of the ruling party. Unity is the cornerstone of our country’s democracy.
Inter-party unity promotes the ideal that this is everyone’s government, where our democracy makes it inclusive and not exclusive.
The more infighting within a party structure, the more time is deflected from addressing the more pertinent issues facing our region.
The real task is not just uniting a fragmented political house, but more especially using that power to serve.
Apartheid divided the nation more than two decades ago. Now corruption, crime, greed and lack of service delivery threaten to disintegrate the nation.
It’s not just about consolidating ground support ahead of the 2016 local government elections or obliterating any alliance tie with the NFP, it is about ensuring that government works – and works properly.
It is time to take off party regalia and caps and serve the millions of Zululanders who still long for a better life for all.
The work done should not be based on the fact that there is another local government election in the near future, but rather because the interests of people far outweigh individual ambitions.
Now that would be a good story to tell.
