Durban - The KwaZulu-Natal structure of the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) that was elected in January this year and chaired by former President Jacob Zuma has been disbanded.
It has since been replaced with an interim one which was put in place after a day-long meeting in Durban on Tuesday.
The meeting was convened by the recently assembled National Interim Coordinating Committee where Mike Soko is the national coordinator and Richard Hlophe is the national convener.
The structure was put in place after years of factional fights and it is tasked with reuniting the civic organisation and get it re-admitted to the ANC-led alliance which includes Cosatu and the South African Communist Party.
NEWS: The SANCO KZN structure that was elected in January this year and chaired by former President Jacob Zuma has been disbanded and replaced with an interim one. This is as the civic organisation is rebuilding itself using interim structures at all levels. Zuma is the new pic.twitter.com/ZXxmvYBuUR
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) June 6, 2023
This is as the civic organisation is rebuilding itself using interim structures at all levels and preparing to be part of the ANC’s campaign for the 2024 general elections.
Zuma is the new provincial convener, and his deputy is Lawrence Dube (ANC Vryheid Councillor), the Cyril Ramaphosa ally who challenged the ANC KZN 2015 elective conference in the Pietermaritzburg High Court and won.
The former provincial treasurer, Thulani Gamede, who recently locked horns with Zuma and Richard Hlophe, the former provincial secretary over access to the organisation’s bank account, has been left out.
Gamede’s position has since been taken over by Sabatha Mzimela.
The provincial coordinator is Sizwe Cele, while the provincial organiser in the new structure is Dr Mduduzi Hlatshwayo.
In a statement of the national interim structure after installing the provincial one, it said they expect it to unite all structures and take them to a provincial conference.
“This is a formidable team of well-experienced leaders with the wealth of experience in serving the people of KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa.
“Their immediate mandate is: to unite all structures of Sanco in the province and to grow its membership base.
“To embark and conduct programmes that seek to uplift the living conditions of all the citizens of KwaZulu-Natal. We want clean and drinkable water, decent housing and infrastructure, access to health care services and more.
“To collaborate with various stakeholders, government and private, to help create job opportunities, particularly for the unemployed youth, because youth unemployment is a ticking time bomb.
“To collaborate with like-minded organisations and the society at large to launch street committees in order combat all sorts of crime which seems to ravage the society of KZN.
“And to continue advocating for the interests of the voiceless in a manner that is informed by the Sanco slogan which says ‘people centred and people-driven development’.
“Lastly, we remain optimistic that, indeed, this team will be able to meet all the above challenges, thus making Sanco the strategic centre of influence again in the province and beyond,” read the statement.
The provincial interim structure has 20 additional members and among them is Nomcebo Msomi, the previous spokesperson of the disbanded structure, Thabani Luthuli who is also active in the Communist party and Jabu Msiya, the ANC mayor of Umzimkhulu local municipality.
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