HISTORY was made in eSikhaleni, at the weekend when the ANC in Musa Dladla Region elected its first woman to lead the ruling party in the district.
Long serving cadre Nonhle Mkhulisi was elected unopposed as the new Regional Chairperson of the oldest movement during the Special Regional General Council, held amid tight security at the eSikhaleni New Hall.
There was euphoria when Mkhulisi’s name was announced as the new boss of the ANC, filling the post left vacant by the untimely death of the late Thulani Mashaba.
Mkhulisi, a Regional Deputy Chairperson, has been acting as the Chairperson since July, after the Ballito car crash that claim the life of a man they called ‘The Giant’.
She becomes the fourth Regional Leader of the ANC after Thulani Mashaba, Bheki Ntuli and Prof Aaron ‘Msheshi’ Ndlovu who was the first Chairperson of what was then, the Northern Natal Region.
Mayoral Cup
In the position of the new Deputy Chairperson, which was hotly contested, current City Mayor of uMhlathuze, Mduduzi Mhlongo emerged.
Mhlongo, also known as ‘Injomane kaMgabhi eyaduk’iminyakanyaka yaze yabuya noShembe,’ defeated his comrade and Mayor of uMfolozi Municipality Simangaliso Mgenge, in what was dubbed ‘The Mayoral Cup.’
Mhlongo’s star also continues to rise in the political arena.
In her first address, Mkhulisi said her immediate task was to channel her energy and focus at winning next year’s Local Government Elections.
She acknowledged the challenges that lie ahead as her party is riddled with factionalism.
‘My appeal to you comrades is for all of us to remain disciplined and focused. The task at hand is to convince people to vote ANC, nothing else.
‘However we are aware of the effort of some groupings within the ANC that were on a mission to disrupt this Special RGC. They will not succeed. We remain unshaken by their actions,’ she said.
Opening the Special RGC, newly elected KZN Deputy Secretary Mluleki Ndobe called for unity in the ANC and its tripartite alliance.
He said the ANC in Musa Dladla would have failed Mashaba if they did not retain all the municipalities they now control.
‘We note that while the NFP is dying a natural death, the IFP is regaining ground and regrouping, and you still have the EFF to deal with.
‘This is what we need to pay our special attention to, not these infighting we see within our movement. The question we need to ask ourselves is, can we afford to fight among ourselves?
‘We need to do away with these foreign tendencies, where aggrieved members of the ANC will march to our head office, demanding a re-run of the Provincial Conference.
‘While we are committed to unity, we can’t afford to entertain ill-discipline in pursuit of unity. We also welcome the letter from the Premier Senzo Mchunu, distancing himself from the march,’ he said.
