KZN leaders unhappy with Cyril's detours

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa in its sights.

This follows two incidents in which Ramaphosa deviated from a provincial executive committee-sanctioned electioneering programme in the province.

He addressed a forum in Newcastle and then visited the Shembe Church without informing any of the party's structures.

KwaZulu-Natal ANC secretary Super Zuma said the provincial executive committee was of the view that the two incidents "blatantly undermined a long-standing tradition of the movement".

• I used ‘inappropriate and unfortunate language’‚ says Cyril on Marikana issueDeputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has admitted in Parliament that “the language I had used” in the days leading up to the Marikana massacre in which 44 miners were killed in 2012 was inappropriate.

Zuma said he would refer the matter to ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe.

"The PEC mandated the [ANC] provincial officials to formally raise this matter with the secretary-general for the attention of the national executive committee. This tendency is both divisive and introduces a completely new, but also dangerous, culture," said Zuma.

While on a two-day door-to-door campaign in Nquthu recently, Ramaphosa snuck out to the eMalahleni region in Newcastle to address a forum purportedly organised by the SA National Civic Organisation.

• Ramaphosa's presidential bid buoyed by Zuma misstepsCyril Ramaphosa’s campaign to become South Africa’s next president has gone into overdrive.

He returned to Nquthu to continue with the campaign. However, the ANC was hopping mad over his detour. This was compounded by the fact that he was seen with former premier Senzo Mchunu at the Sanco event.

KwaZulu-Natal ANC spokesman Mdumiseni Ntuli said it was clear the deputy president was behaving in a factional manner.

A few days later, while in Durban for the World Economic Forum , Ramaphosa also went to the Nazareth Baptist Church in Empangeni without informing the ANC's regional leadership.

• Numsa joins AMCU in rejecting Ramaphosa apology over MarikanaJoseph Mathunjwa‚ president of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union which led the strike‚ has also rejected Ramaphosa's apology.

When confronted, Ramaphosa questioned why his visit should be viewed as factional just because he was with Mchunu, and not provincial ANC chairman Sihle Zikalala.

He said both were senior ANC leaders. However, Zuma was hearing none of it.

"For example, treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize recently went to a family function in Msinga and he informed the leadership of the province and we sent the regional chair of Inkosi Bhambatha and a PEC member to be with him. This is the norm and we are not about to break it," he said.

National ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said: "The party has not received the complaint from the KwaZulu-Natal leadership."