Will new KZN cabinet help ANC restore its image?

WITH gender equity seemingly achieved in strategic positions in the government by the ANC in Kwazulu-natal, it remains to be seen whether the party will retain power in 2024.

This is what political analysts believed would be the key area of focus for the newly-appointed members of the executive council dominated by women.

The ANC made a historic appointment this week when Nomusa Dubencube became the first woman premier of the province. Dube-ncube’s duty was to restore the ANC’S image as a governing party and ensure victory in 2024.

She announced changes in the executive and introduced new faces, reshuffled some MECS, while others retained their portfolios.

The notable changes were that of Amanda Bani-mapeni, who was appointed MEC of Sport, Culture and Recreation, Mbali Frezer, MEC of Education, and Ntuthuko Mahlaba as MEC of Public Works and Human Settlement.

Sipho Hlomuka was moved to Transport and Community Safety, Peggy Nkonyeni was moved to Finance, and former premier Sihle Zikalala is now MEC of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. Nomagugu Simelane and Bongi Sithole-moloi kept their positions at agriculture and health respectively.

Siboniso Duma, the newly-elected ANC chairperson in the province, was named MEC of Economic Development, a superpower department that works closely with the premier’s office to strengthen the regional economy.

The changes were made based on the ANC factions, as many of the newly-appointed MECS belonged to the Taliban faction that won the provincial conference recently.

The ANC experienced a huge decline in support during the local government elections last year. The party lost control of several municipalities in the province, including the ethekwini municipality, where it scored less than 50%.

Political analyst Ralph Mathekga said the re-adjustments of the MECS was based on factions, and not on principles. He said the party should have put effort into ensuring Zikalala remained premier, unless there were solid, performance-based reasons to oust him.

“The changes are clearly not based on good governance; it is a continuation of factional battles that will not help the party to restore its image. I do not believe any of the additional members will help the party grow its support. If they had that in mind, they would have considered keeping some good-performing members in the executive to build the image,” he said.

Another political analyst, Imran Buccus, said there was a considerable loss of constitutional memory with the recent changes, that could cost the party as it tried to regain power.

He said while it was worrying that the new premier had made many changes, it may be a good move from a generational perspective because it brought new faces with new energy.

“The fact that there were no faults or poor performance pointed out under Zikalala, major changes were not expected. Zikalala inspired business confidence in the business sector during his tenure, which is a critical element in government.

“Under Dube-ncube and Duma this may not be the case, or take time. Also, there was some recognition of minorities under the previous leadership. It is concerning to have no minority representation because it could mark dramatic departure from the non-racial character of the ANC,” said Buccus.