Former eThekwini mayor James Nxumalo has returned to the centre of KwaZulu-Natal politics, taking up a key role in the ANC’s newly reconfigured provincial leadership.
Nxumalo, a senior leader in the South African Communist Party (SACP), has been appointed coordinator of the ANC’s provincial task team (PTT), filling a post vacated by Mike Mabuyakhulu. Mabuyakhulu was elevated to convener after the recall of party heavyweight Jeff Radebe.
The changes were announced in Durban on Wednesday after the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC), the party’s highest decision-making body, met in the province. The delegation was led by secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, alongside first deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane.
“We have made a thorough evaluation of the province and what we needed to do. We are now reinforcing and reorganising ourselves better, based on the challenges and successes of the past 12 months in office of this particular structure. We think we now know better what we need to do,” Mbalula said.
Party insiders said one of the key reasons for Radebe’s removal was the failure, under his leadership, to convene regional elective conferences despite a clear mandate to do so.
The NEC also removed veteran leader Weziwe Thusi and Deputy Higher Education Minister Nomusa Dube-Ncube, who had served as deputy provincial coordinator.
The mandate of the PTT, initially appointed in February last year for a term ending in November, was extended.
In the reshuffle, Mabuyakhulu remains part of the top leadership, while Siboniso Duma, KwaZulu-Natal’s MEC for transport and human settlements, stays on as second deputy convener. Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Mngadi continues in her role as fundraiser.
New additions to the top leadership include Siphile Mdaka, the mayor of uMkhanyakude district municipality and former Cogta MEC Bongi Sithole-Moloi, who joined Nxumalo in the party’s top six provincial officials.
Mbalula said further PTT appointments would be announced next week when ANC leaders returned to the province.
Nxumalo’s appointment is widely seen as an attempt to repair strained relations between the ANC and the SACP, after the alliance partner signalled its intention to contest the upcoming municipal elections independently.
A long-serving SACP chairperson in KwaZulu-Natal, he is regarded as a potential bridge between the two parties. His return also carries echoes of a turbulent past.
Nxumalo was a front-runner in the fiercely contested 2015 race for ANC eThekwini regional chairperson, ultimately won by Zandile Gumede.
Although Nxumalo initially won the position twice, disputes from a rival faction led to reruns. He later withdrew after several SACP leaders who had backed his campaign were killed.
Mabuyakhulu acknowledged the scale of the challenge facing the reconfigured leadership.
“We understand the enormity of the tasks before us. We have no illusion that we need to be able to hit the ground running,” he said.
The NEC has also decided to halt all outstanding elective conferences for now, shifting the party’s focus to rebuilding structures and preparing for upcoming elections.
The ANC enters this period on the back foot in KwaZulu-Natal, where the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, led by former president Jacob Zuma, has surged to dominance.
The MK Party secured just over 45% of the vote in the most recent provincial and national elections, making it the leading political force in the province.
The reconfiguration comes as the party rebuilds amid the MK Party’s growing dominance