Johannesburg - Former ANC KwaZulu-Natal leader Mdumiseni Ntuli, who lost his bid to become the ANC secretary-general to newly-elected SG Fikile Mbalula, is now gunning for Pule Mabe’s position as ANC spokesperson.
Following a bruising loss to Mbalula, Ntuli has taken his campaign to social media, where he thanked his supporters for having put their faith in him during his failed secretary-general campaign.
Despite having the largest voting delegate block, the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal walked away from the 55th elective conference empty-handed as it failed to get even a single candidate from its province elected to the ANC's Top 7.
This comes after Dr Zweli Mkhize and Mdumiseni Ntuli, who were competing for the positions of president and secretary-general, respectively, were defeated.
The province is now looking to get some of its members onto the national executive committee (NEC), which has 79 spots left to fill.
In his effort to dust himself off, Ntuli thanked those who were by his side during the run-up to the conference.
“Thank you for everyone who elected me ... Now I am campaigning as the spokesman of the ANC to replace Pule Mabe,” he tweeted.
Ntuli’s tweet has garnered more than 450 responses from sympathisers and well-wishers. Early in the day, The Star spoke to veteran political analyst Lesiba Tefo, who sang Ntuli’s praises, adding that Ntuli should have been in the top 7 as he had a brilliant mind.
With KZN having lost both positions of ANC president and secretary-general, Teffo said he hopes Ramaphosa will keep Mdumiseni Ntuli close so that he succeeds to lead the party and possibly the country later. He described him as a man of sound mind and sharp intellect.
“You know there is a saying that a family at war with itself will never go far. This is true for KZN. Ntuli is a brilliant young man. He is intellectually sound. I have met him, by the way, and he is intellectually articulate and intellectually superior to some of the people in the top seven. That fellow, for me, is good enough to be the secretary-general and even for the deputy president position, especially if you want to begin to build your succession plan for the future. That fellow should have been up there, and it is a pity that he is not there,” he said.
The Star