KZN premier and ANC provincial chairperson Sihle Zikalala says the national leadership of the governing party is reluctant to pursue policies that will transform the country’s economy.
In an interview with TimesLIVE Premium, Zikalala said that is why his province will try to convince other delegates at the December ANC national conference to push for radical policies.
He said inequality and lack of jobs added fuel to the fire during the riots last July.
“We need to address the whole issue of economic imbalance. However, I’m not sure whether we have enough instruments to address that situation. Even the government’s economic means is not enough to address the matter. Even initiatives meant to support SMMEs are not sufficient.
“So the situation is not in favour of supporting transformation because we don’t have enough instruments, especially when it comes to programmes to empower those who were oppressed.
“I don’t think we have enough instruments such as policies that will enhance transformation and ensure there is a dedicated approach for public procurement. For instance, some years ago we proposed to Treasury that there should be specific contracts for SMMEs 'set aside'. Treasury declined that.
“All of that was thrown out. Even the preferential procurement regulations of 2017 were discarded by courts. Transformation will not succeed as long as those who are owning means of production are competing with those who don’t. In SA you have oligopolies. One company monopolises one industry and then they will branch into another industry and monopolise that.”
Asked what he was doing to resolve this issue, Zikalala said: “I’m not in national government and all these things are with National Treasury. I can tell you that in each NEC of the ANC I raise this. We will raise it again at the national policy conference.
“We will ask for serious transformation at the national policy conference. I can tell you that since Nasrec, in each of the ANC lekgotlas, we have been raising these issues. I raised the issue that the policies in this country are not in favour of transforming the economy. We’ve been raising this since Nasrec.
There must be a clear plan of economic transformation and job creation. I don’t undermine the outcry about corruption, but a person must eat and have shelter.
— KZN premier Sihle Zikalala
“We have raised this even with the officials of the ANC. I don’t think that comrades think that they should take this issue so seriously. How long has it taken us to have a public procurement bill finalised? Since 2017, and it’s still not finalised. We are not sure if the public procurement bill before Nedlac will address economic transformation.
“According to minister Enoch Godongwana’s speech, the public procurement bill must only address issues of corruption — which is good. We say address corruption, but also address transformation,” he said.
“Transformation issues are at the periphery of the agenda.”
Zikalala is running for re-election as provincial chairperson of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal. His slate includes education MEC Kwazi Mshengu as his deputy, Mdumiseni Ntuli as provincial secretary, KZN legislature speaker Nontembeko Boyce as deputy secretary and MEC of human settlements Jomo Sibiya as treasurer.
The groups that oppose Zikalala have not agreed on one candidate, but those believed to be eyeing his position include MEC of finance Nomusa Dube-Ncube, MPL Siboniso Duma, former Newcastle mayor Ntuthuko Mahlaba and businessman Sandile Zungu.
If re-elected, Zikalala faces a huge task of winning over KZN voters after the party’s support dropped in last year’s local government elections.
He says his party’s support dwindled because its voters stayed at home.
“It’s not that there was a new population that voted for the IFP, but the IFP managed to get it’s people to go out and vote. That is what we must focus on.”
He said for the ANC to win the 2024 elections there must be a strong focus on improving services.
“There must be a clear plan of economic transformation and job creation. I don’t undermine the outcry about corruption, but a person must eat and have shelter.”
He said the national leadership had prioritised particular resolutions of the 2017 conference and ignored others.
Many gains that had been made in transforming certain industries, including mining, had been reversed since Nasrec, he said.
To strengthen government, there must strategy that focuses on different sectors. There also needs to be a strong and well-resourced security cluster and a strong economic-focused plan to revive the economy.
He would not be drawn into pronouncing on whether President Cyril Ramaphosa deserves a second term, saying ANC branches will have to take such a decision. Asked about his relationship with the president, he said: “He’s been supportive to a certain extent.”
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