A small group of African National Congress members is protesting outside the venue of the 9th KwaZulu-Natal elective conference in Durban.
The party members are carrying placards written: “Ramaphosa Must Go”.
This comes as Ramaphosa faces serious allegations related to an undisclosed sum of money that was allegedly stolen from his Phalaphala farm in Limpopo.
ANC veteran Carl Niehaus is among the protesters. He says they have called on the ANC national leaders to expel Ramaphosa from the party.
“I’m here to say that Cyril Ramaphosa must not address this provincial conference because of the crimes that Cyril Ramaphosa had been charged with, very serious crimes with regards to Phala Phala. There was a contravention of foreign exchange regulations, abduction, torture.”
Niehaus adds: “We do not want a criminal to address a conference of the African National Congress. We have demanded from the National Executive Committee of the ANC that they must let Ramaphosa go. They have not yet done so, So we are here to say that he must go and we do not want him to enter these premises.”
Meanwhile, Provincial Chairperson Siboniso Duma said immediately after being elected that they would work hard to restore public confidence in the ANC.
The party lost 18 municipalities including the eThekwini Metro. Security remains tight at the conference venue.
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Duma says Ramaphosa will no longer officially close the province’s 9th elective conference.
Duma says this is because the ANC president has other commitments. According to Duma, Ramaphosa has congratulated the new-elected ANC provincial leadership.
“In the morning, he congratulated the new leadership. And we’ve got a nice relationship with the President. And unfortunately today he has got another engagement so the chair is going to close the conference but we’ve just received warm greetings and revolutionary greetings from the President this morning.”
Duma beat Sihle Zikalala with 930 votes against 665.
Mdumiseni Ntuli had to vacate office and make way for the newly elected Provincial Secretary, Bheki Mtolo, who won with 894 votes against 699.
Sipho Hlomuka made a comeback as the Deputy Provincial Secretary.
And the new Provincial Treasurer of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is Ntuthuko Mahlaba.
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