High Court to decide on fate of ANC in KZN

The fate of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is to be decided in the Pietermaritzburg High Court today.

The court is hearing an appeal by the provincial executive committee of the party against a legal challenge to the validity of elections at the 2015 provincial conference.

Thousands of party members have turned out to support the warring ANC factions in the province.

The case was brought by ANC councillor Lawrence Dube and four others in May 2016, after elections that ousted Premier Senzo Mchunu as provincial chairman. He was replaced by Sihle Zikalala.

The applicants claimed the conference was held prematurely and was riddled with procedural irregularities, and that the voting was rigged.

Both factions said on Wednesday they fancied their chances in the appeal.

"We have a solid case that we presented to the judges," said ANC provincial secretary Super Zuma. "Losing is not on our minds, but we still have a number of avenues open to us should things not go our way."

The Zuma faction has said that if it loses the appeal it will go to the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Spokesman for the applicants Sithembiso Mshengu was equally sanguine. "We are very confident about the merit and strength of our case. We believe it carries a lot of weight," he said.

Mshengu said the ANC provincial executive committee was an illegitimate structure presiding over critical decision-making with far-reaching effects for the ANC rank-and-file.

In September, the Pietermaritzburg High Court declared the conference invalid, but the ANC appealed the following month.