KwaZulu-Natal African National Congress (ANC) provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo stated on Tuesday that no one will unseat the ANC in the province in the 2024 elections, as he boasted that the current membership of the party in KZN is above 200 000.  

He was speaking during a dialogue with the media in the province, which aims to build relations.

Mtolo said ANC officials had taken a decision to interact with party members to discuss the challenges and successes of the organisation's National Democratic Revolution.  

He said the ANC could not share its strategies on how it could win the upcoming 2024 elections.

He added that the ANC and other political parties were analysing the upcoming elections based on reliance on the local government 2021 results, which he said would be unhelpful.

Mtolo said the party lost many votes that year, as the election was on a Monday, which was a long weekend during the Covid-19 lockdown.

He believes contesting parties in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) will not be able to unseat the ANC. He called the suggestion “a pipe dream”.

He warned journalists against involving themselves in internal factions.

“If you choose a life of a journalist and a politician, your skin must be hard as we are going into the elections. There will be heated moments,” said Mtolo.

He further criticised the media for not reporting on positives in the province.

Mtolo said it was unfortunate that the media was not highlighting the achievements of KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube and Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MEC Siboniso Duma for their clean governance in the province, after the Provincial Legislature and six provincial departments obtained clean audits for 2022/23.

ANC KZN chairperson Siboniso Duma stressed that the ANC in the province was the “only vehicle that can totally liberate South Africans” if its policies were implemented.

He warned journalists to tread carefully and not be absorbed by political infighting.

“If you write incorrectly, many people, even your extended families, will be affected,” he warned. 

He said the eThekwini municipality was working swiftly to address water issues in the province, while 58 000 youth were being trained as school assistants to address unemployment.

He said there were more developments in the pipeline and asked the media to assist in selling the province to the world.

KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane said the ANC leadership had had sleepless nights relating to service delivery.

“We sit and take stock of how far we have gone. We exist to change the lives of our people, primarily the previously disadvantaged,” she said.

Mutual respect, she noted, was important between the leadership and the media.

“We take journalism as a profession. Do not ask us questions like why are comrades not shaking hands? We believe that the media should be partners of all political parties. We respect you, but be respectful professionals,” said Simelane.

She promised a follow-up on departments that take an extended amount of time to respond to media questions.  

On the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Memorial Hospital that was recently built in KwaMashu, Simelane said 1 400 posts were filled following proper procedures.

She said the hospital catered for all people in the province, and dismissed protests against hiring staff from outside of KwaMashu.

Simelane said people from KwaMashu should not complain as “some of their people also work in far-flung areas in the province”.

She said she was aware that those who were complaining wanted tenders, which the health department did not have.