Changing leadership, changing times in KZN
A thick air of suspense hangs over Kwazulu-Natal this afternoon as Willies Mchunu awaits to be sworn-in as Premier.
In an unceremonious move last Friday, former Premier Senzo Mchunu was asked to resign by Monday this week.
Although it became a cat and mouse affair with provincial government and ANC leaders keeping mum over the weekend, Mchunu held an impromptu press briefing at his home in Empangeni outside Durban on Monday confirming his resignation.
Following speculations being published in the media, the former premier said his removal was personally confirmed to him by Secretary General Gwede Mantashe, saying the decision was a procedural Cabinet reshuffle with the intention of redeploying Mchunu to the National Assembly.
Despite his confirmation that he had been forced out of the premiership and that he respected the ANC's decision in this regard, it was people on the ground who say they felt a sense of betrayal.
Changing climate of KZN leadership
Here was a man who was considered a hard worker, bowing to pressure and resigning. However the writing had been on the wall since late last year when Sihle Zikalala beat Mchunu to the position of chairman of the party at the provincial conference.
It was an unsettling time for the KZN ANC as some ANC members marched through the Durban city centre to the party's provincial offices, calling for a rerun of the ruling party's Elective Conference.
With an ANC senior, Willies Mchunu moments away from officially getting the top job, the jury is out on whether he will become a unifier for the ANC and those in support of the party ahead of the August 3rd Local Government Elections.
Words of an analyst
Weighing in on the state of the ANC in KZN, analyst Thabani Khumalo said recent developments show that the tripartite alliance seems to be increasingly divided.
Fears are also rising that those loyal to the former premier, Senzo Mchunu, may resort to forms of rebellion and even violence. This is worrying given that a number of ANC local leaders have been killed in recent months. Opposition parties in the province have also lost leaders in what they claim to have been assassinations.
The honourable Willies Mchunu will, despite his experience in politics, face an uphill battle to restore confidence in the Kwazulu-Natal public, especially given how poorly the ANC communicated the removal of his predecessor.