KZN leadership could be disbanded as ANC top six jet into province

The ANC's top brass are expected to meet up with their KwaZulu-Natal counterparts on Friday, a provincial executive committee member has confirmed.

It was also possible‚ a senior source said‚ that the leadership in KZN will be disbanded and an interim task team put in place.

But topping the agenda will be the PEC's resolve to forge ahead with an appeal of their case at the Supreme Court of Appeal. This follows a potentially devastating ruling on Tuesday in the Pietermaritzburg High Court that nullified the 2015 provincial elective conference‚ effectively rendering the leadership elected there illegitimate.

While KZN officials were adamant they would appeal‚ they were told to stand down by secretary-general Gwede Mantashe and the national executive committee until after a meeting was held. This itself sparked a war of words‚ as the KZN ANCYL not-so-subtly told the national body to leave them to make their own decisions.

"Yes‚ I can confirm they will fly down to discuss the issue with us. We understand that they might disband the provincial structure and install a provincial task team [PTT] to oversee the processes until the December elective conference. The PTT will stay till the province hold PGC [provincial general council] to reconstitute new leadership‚" a senior ANC source in KZN said.

Nhlakanipho Ntombela‚ an MPL who is part of the group that took the ANC to court‚ also confirmed that the national leadership will come to KwaZulu-Natal.

"From what I can see‚ they might not allow the appeal‚" he said.