Thousands of illegal KZN ANC members uncovered ahead of conference‚ commission told

A northern KwaZulu-Natal councillor has claimed that they have uncovered thousands of illegal ANC members ahead of the elective conference in December.

ANC councillor in Pongola‚ Nqaba Mkhwanazi‚ who gave evidence on Monday at the Moerane Commission which is sitting in KwaZulu-Natal to investigate political violence in the province‚ cited factionalism and corruption as being among the causes for the political killings that have ravaged the province.

Mkhwanazi said the party had discovered 4‚000 illegal ANC membership cards bearing a fake stamp in the Zululand region. He said he believed there the fake members were linked to "certain branches" of the ANC Youth League.

“We have submitted the list to the secretary general to investigate.”

ANC provincial spokesman Mdumiseni Ntuli confirmed that the claims of fraudulent members were being investigated by the PEC.

"This matter has been reported to us and we have investigated the list. Corrective action is being taken and we have gone to those involved to respond to our findings."

He said preliminary investigation revealed about 1‚000 names‚ but "as we go deeper‚ the figure of manipulated membership might increase".

Ntuli said their investigation uncovered various people linked to the ANC branch and regional level as well as the ANC Youth League.

"The PEC has ruled that this matter must be completed within the next 30 days to ensure that we don't undermine the credibility of our membership leading up to the elective conference." Ntuli said the issue of fraudulent membership was limited only to Nongoma‚ eDumbe and Vryheid.

Mkhwanazi said in the run-up to the ANC’s 2017 elective conference in December‚ there will be more killings if a provincial elective conference is not called.

“While we have this leadership problem in KwaZulu-Natal the national leadership should call a provincial council or imbizo where people will elect their leadership of KwaZulu-Natal. If that is not done‚ come local government elections in 2021 we will have three factions and more killings.

“There won’t be two camps but three: one going for deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa‚ another for Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and the other for Zweli Mkhize‚” said Mkhwanazi. “There is a problem. Our national leadership is causing problems.”

He said in the current government‚ managers were there through deployment‚ adding that as a deployee they have to listen to their boss.

“That is where corruption starts.”

Mkhwanazi raised concern about the current system used by the party to elect new councillors.

He believes this is what led to the murder of his friend and fellow councillor‚ Mbhekiseni Khumalo‚ who was killed in December outside his home in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Khumalo was shot dead at his house by assassins pretending they were residents needing assistance. Mkhwanazi said Khumalo was selected through party structures despite numbers favouring another individual.

“The PR list is not followed according to chronology. Our ANC leadership must not take decisions on own‚ but listen to the community.”

Mkhwanazi said the cause of Khumalo’s death was as a result of factionalism. However Ntuli said this was a "generic "statement that couldn't be applied to all councillor deaths.

There have been several arrests in the deaths of councillors where the suspects arrested were not ANC members.

Khumalo’s widow‚ Thandazile Khumalo‚ told the commission that her husband‚ who was loved by the community‚ was against corruption.