The general secretary of the ANC, Mr. Fikile Mbalula, says that he was not surprised to leave the former mayor of Thekwini Municipality, Mrs. Zandile Gumede.
Mbalula said they already knew that MKP would propose to Mrs Gumede as the local government elections are approaching. He said this while talking to the media yesterday.
Mrs Gumede, who has been the chairperson of the ANC in the Theku region, joined the MKP on Monday.
Mbalula said they knew that MKP leader Jacob Zuma wanted to attack Mrs Gumede in Durban.
“We have no problem. The struggle continues. We will continue to fight for the people of this country. We will campaign for elections in Durban.”
Mbalula said they have no regrets for losing Mrs Gumede.
“He chose his own path. He chose to follow his heart where it led him. He chose to go with Zuma. We will continue to fight for the people of South Africa. Zandile was a member of the group that worked hard. It is unfortunate that when he was appointed to the position he found himself in violation of the law, as he was involved in a case. This forced us to order him to step down as we have a law that says all leaders facing charges must step down. Otherwise we have no problem with him.”
Mrs Gumede is beset by problems as she is dealing with a fraud case involving a R320 million tender for waste collection in Durban.
Mrs Gumede said that when she came to MKP she was offered the position of deputy producer of the KwaZulu-Natal group.