Beware of opposition - Mchunu

2012-11-17 19:40

Senzo Mchunu (File, Sapa)

Durban - The ANC must beware of opposition parties, KwaZulu-Natal provincial executive committee (PEC) member Senzo Mchunu said on Saturday.

"We must watch every political change on the ground... one of those is the number of blue [Democratic Alliance] shirts in the townships," he said.

"I don't think it’s something that we can ignore."

Mchunu was addressing hundreds of delegates attending the ANC eThekwini region's general council at the Durban University of Technology’s ML Sultan Campus.

"As the ANC in eThekwini we should be interested in things that make people change from black, green and yellow to blue and white," he said.

‘I’m not worried about Zille’

Mchunu said the opposition was looking for any issue that would make them popular at the 2014 elections.

"I'm not worried about [Helen] Zille but beware of how the blue shirts play politics," he said.

The eThekwini ANC decided on Saturday to back President Jacob Zuma for a second term at the ANC's national elective conference in Mangaung in December.

The region named businessman Cyril Ramaphosa, to take over as deputy president from Kgalema Motlanthe.

Motlanthe is at the top of several regions' lists for president, but has not yet revealed whether he would accept the nomination.

100% Zuma

The region wanted to retain Gwede Mantashe as general secretary and Baleka Mbete as chairperson.

Jessie Duarte was named to take over as deputy secretary general, while KwaZulu-Natal Premier Zweli Mkhize was named treasurer general.

Regional secretary Bheki Ntshangase said eThekwini held 96 out of 103 successful branch general meetings.

Hundreds of African National Congress delegates at the eThekwini general council wore yellow and green T-shirts bearing the face of Zuma and carrying the words "100% Zuma".

The region is the ANC's biggest, with over 100 branches and more than 90 000 members.
KwaZulu-Natal is also Zuma's home province.

- SAPA