The step-aside rule, which applies to anyone facing criminal charges, according to eThekwini ANC leader Zandile Gumede, is undermining the ruling party.
At the largest ANC regional conference, which was hampered by delays over the weekend, her slate made a clean sweep.
Her opponent, council speaker Thabani Nyawose, received 181 votes, while she received 210 votes.
Gumede’s slate was successfully chosen on Sunday, comprising of herself as chairwoman, Themba Ntuli as her deputy, Musa Nciki as secretary-general, Nkosenhle Madlala as his deputy, and Zoe Tshabalala as treasurer.
Despite the fact that she was facing corruption accusations, the former mayor was nominated and elected. In July, she is scheduled to appear in court again.
Her election has put the ANC’s step-aside rule to the test, which many unhappy members claim was employed selectively by the party’s senior brass.
‘I made certain that ANC in eThekwini did not perish.’
Gumede, speaking to the SABC from her home in Durban after the election results were released, said she was both thrilled and emotional.
“I’ve been struggling for four years.
Thanks to ANC branches, the truth has now come out. I’m completely overwhelmed. I made certain that eThekwini was the first to arrive.”
Her most important responsibility, she said, will be to ensure that even those who did not vote for her support her new leadership.
Gumede, who had stepped aside and was not authorized to do so under ANC rules, explained calmly that she had been conducting party work.
“We’ve been working with Thabani [Nyawose] and there have been no issues.
Despite the fact that I stepped away, I was on the ground. “I’ve been ensuring that the ANC in eThekwini does not perish,” she explained.
Criminal charges
Gumede and her co-accused are accused of receiving R2.8 million in kickbacks from service providers that were awarded the irregular DSW tender in 2017.
All of the payments were made while Gumede was still mayor, and they were not reported to the city as required by law.
She’s also accused of using her political clout to sway the hiring of senior eThekwini executives in charge of supply-chain management, legal problems, and human resources.
She has pled not guilty to all accusations leveled against her.
‘Step-aside is killing the ANC’
The former mayor said she wouldn’t recommend the step-aside policy to anyone since it is difficult and “traumatic.”
She stated she agreed to step down after KwaZulu-Natal leadership requested it. She stated that she complied as a law-abiding person.
“It won’t be long before I’m off the hook, and I’ll be working hard for the people of eThekwini with the collective.” The ANC constitution and the ANC’s constitution both say that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
“You shouldn’t be punished until the court deems you guilty; I don’t think this step-aside is a good idea, but because it directly affects me, I believe the ANC branches can help.”
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