Mdumiseni Ntuli
Provincial Secretary of the African National Congress in KwaZulu-Natal
In office
July 2018 – July 2022
DeputySipho Hlomuka
ChairpersonSihle Zikalala
Preceded bySuper Zuma
Succeeded byBheki Mtolo
Member of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature
In office
May 2016 – July 2018
Personal details
BornMarch 1979 (1979-03) (age 44)
NationalitySouth African
Political partyAfrican National Congress
Relations
Alma materUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal

Mdumiseni Ntuli (born March 1979) is a South African politician who represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature from May 2016 to July 2018. He left the legislature to serve as Provincial Secretary of the ANC's KwaZulu-Natal branch, an office he held between 2018 and 2022.

A former member of the ANC Youth League, Ntuli has been a member of the Provincial Executive Committee of the KwaZulu-Natal ANC since 2015 and is the committee's former spokesman. He also spent a decade working for the ANC as an administrator and organiser at its national headquarters at Luthuli House.

Early life and career

Mdumiseni Ntuli was born in March 1979.[1] His family is from rural KwaXimba outside Cato Ridge in KwaZulu-Natal.[2][3] The area is a longstanding stronghold of the African National Congress (ANC), Ntuli's political party, and his family has been described as influential in ANC politics in the area: both his uncle, Bheki, and his brother, Thembo, are ANC politicians in KwaZulu-Natal.[4] Thembo was regional secretary of the ANC Youth League in eThekwini[4] and in April 2022 was elected deputy chairperson of the ANC's eThekwini region, running on a slate aligned to Zandile Gumede.[5]

Mdumiseni was educated at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, where he became active in student politics.[2][6] In 2004, while in the third year of his Bachelor of Laws degree, he was president of the student representative council on the university's Pietermaritzburg campus.[7] He holds a Master's in political studies from the university.[6] Around 2008,[8] he left KwaZulu-Natal for Johannesburg, where he worked at the ANC's headquarters, Luthuli House, for a decade.[6] For the first year, he was a national administrator for the ANC; he later became an administrator for the ANC Youth League and then a national organiser for the ANC.[9]

Simultaneously, Ntuli, like his brother, was a member of the ANC Youth League.[10][11] In 2014, he stood as a candidate for election as provincial chairperson of the KwaZulu-Natal Youth League; his candidacy was endorsed by the leadership of the league's largest region, eThekwini.[12][13] Later that year, he announced his candidacy for election as secretary of the national Youth League, a more senior position; he ran on a slate aligned to league presidential candidate Pule Mabe.[1][14] However, neither the provincial league nor the national league went ahead with their leadership elections in 2014;[15] by the time they were held in 2015,[16] Ntuli had turned 36 and was too old to be eligible for Youth League membership. By that time, there were rumours that he was allied with Sihle Zikalala, then the provincial secretary of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, and that Zikalala hoped to promote Ntuli to a more senior position in the party or in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature.[8]

Provincial politics

ANC provincial executive: 2015–2017

Ntuli was elected to the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal at its seventh elective conference in 2015.[17] He also became the PEC's spokesperson.[18][19] In May 2016, he was additionally elected as a Member of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Legislature, filling a casual vacancy.[20][21]

However, he and the other members of the PEC, including Zikalala as chairperson, lost their party positions prematurely in late 2017 when the high court found that electoral irregularities had taken place at the 2015 conference.[22] The PEC was suspended and the running of the provincial party was entrusted to a provincial task team appointed by the ANC National Executive Committee in January 2018; Ntuli was appointed as one of its sixteen members.[23]

ANC provincial secretary: 2018–2022

Election

Ntuli was elected provincial secretary of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal in July 2018 when, after delays caused by legal challenges,[24] the province held its eighth elective conference to elect a new leadership.[25] Although Ntuli's name was mentioned for the highly contested secretary position,[22] he was not formally nominated in advance and was nominated from the floor of the conference by the ANC Youth League.[26][27] He won in a vote against Super Zuma, who had been elected to the position in 2015, by a margin of over 200 votes among about 1,700 delegates.[28] He was carried to the podium on the shoulders of supporters when the result was announced.[28] Super Zuma had reportedly been the preferred candidate of controversial former national President Jacob Zuma, who is also from KwaZulu-Natal and whom he had fiercely supported;[29] the Daily Maverick therefore described Ntuli's election as a serious blow to former President Zuma.[30]

At that time, the Daily Maverick said that Ntuli "appears to be very much in the middle of the road between the two main groups [pro-Zuma and anti-Zuma], rather than a diehard supporter of either".[30] The night before the conference opened at Durban University of Technology, Ntuli had addressed a so-called "cadre's forum" with remarks that suggested support for the ANC renewal agenda of incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa, warning that some people within the ANC would resist the party's renewal.[31] His speech was interpreted as "a veiled attack" on former President Zuma and his supporters in the province, Zandile Gumede and Willies Mchunu.[11]

Ntuli's election was understood to be the result of his inclusion on an informal slate known as the "unity" or "zebra" slate, which had been negotiated between the pro-Zuma and pro-Ramaphosa factions to ensure adequate representation for both. The Mail & Guardian said that Ntuli had become "an obvious choice" for the slot, partly because he was viewed as acceptable by both factions and partly because of the organisational skill he had displayed as a member of the provincial task team.[17] An opposing slate, the so-called "status quo" slate, lobbied for the re-election of the entire disbanded leadership as elected in 2015.[28][32] Sources told City Press that Ntuli had also been invited, and had declined, to serve as deputy chairperson on the status quo slate, an arrangement that would have allowed Super Zuma to gain the secretary post unopposed.[11] His candidacy received strong support from the province's ANC Youth League, a leading supporter of the unity slate, which had nominated him as part of its campaign for a "generational mix" in the new provincial leadership – Ntuli was still in his 30s at the time.[10][11] In his opening address to the conference, national ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule had urged young leaders to be patient and allow themselves to be "guided" and "nurtured", which Ntuli's supporters interpreted as directed at Ntuli and described as an attempt to "decampaign" him.[11]

Stance on Zuma trial

Ntuli served as provincial secretary for a single term between 2018 and 2022, working alongside Zikalala, who was re-elected unopposed as provincial chairperson at the 2018 conference.[33] Throughout his term, one of the KwaZulu-Natal ANC's overriding preoccupations was the ongoing legal challenges faced by former President Zuma, who was charged with corruption and later with contempt of court. The fairly pro-Zuma PEC[34] led by Ntuli resolved that Zuma should participate in the ANC's campaign in KwaZulu-Natal ahead of the 2019 general election; defending the decision, Ntuli said that Zuma "remains a darling of many people in this country, not just in KZN".[35] The PEC also resolved that ANC members should rally outside the courthouse to support Zuma during his trial, though Ntuli told the media that such support did not carry "anti-president" (that is, anti-Ramaphosa) implications.[36]

In May 2021, at the beginning of Zuma's corruption trial, Ntuli accompanied Zikalala to the Pietermaritzburg High Court, where Zikalala assured a crowd of supporters gathered outside that in the provincial ANC "we stand with President Zuma, even today".[32] However, both men were heckled by Zuma's supporters.[32] Zikalala told the Sunday Times that he was conducting an investigation into the identities of the hecklers. He believed that they were not from KwaZulu-Natal and had been "bused in from somewhere outside KwaZulu-Natal to come and boo the KZN leadership... they came in somebody's carrier bags".[36] He suggested that they had been sent from Mpumalanga or the Free State to "create an impression that the leadership of the province is losing the support of its own members" and to destabilise the province.[36]

Zuma's arrest in July 2021 was followed by an episode of civil unrest in KwaZulu-Natal which further divided the party. Ntuli publicly challenged Ramaphosa's characterisation of the unrest as a "failed insurrection", warning that he might be "over-exaggerating".[37] Nonetheless, some perceived Ntuli as an ally of Ramaphosa,[38] and both he and Sikalala (who formerly was unequivocal in his support for Zuma) were viewed as having shifted away from Zuma and towards Ramaphosa.[32] For example, the eThekwini branch apparently believed that they were not willing to challenge the national ANC on its so-called step-aside policy,[39] although Ntuli had in the past expressed misgivings about how the policy was implemented.[40] Zikalala's position was worse than Ntuli's, because he had run for the chairmanship in 2018 on an openly pro-Zuma platform.[41][42] By August, Ntuli had reportedly been approached to challenge Zikalala for the chairmanship.[43]

Dispute with Buthelezi

In May 2021, Ntuli got into a public spat with Mangosuthu Buthelezi, a Zulu prince and the former president of the opposition Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). When Buthelezi claimed that the ANC-led government intended to withdraw the police protection provided to the new Zulu King Misuzulu Zulu, Ntuli accused Buthelezi of lying to score political points;[44] in subsequent exchanges, he said that Buthelezi used his affiliation with the Zulu royal family to "create an impression in society that there is no distinction between the IFP and the Zulu kingdom" and to gain political support on the basis of tribalism.[45][46]

Succession

At the KwaZulu-Natal ANC's ninth provincial elective conference in July 2022, Ntuli stood unsuccessfully for a second term as provincial secretary.[47] He ran against Bheki Mtolo, who was then the mayor of Kokstad and who ran on the so-called Taliban slate, which was pro-Zuma and which also successfully installed Siboniso Duma as provincial chairperson, ousting Zikalala. A source later told the Daily Maverick that the faction backing the Taliban had first approached Ntuli to run against Zikalala as chairperson.[41] Ntuli said the same in November, explaining that he had denied the offer for principled reasons, because "there was no valid reason to remove Zikalala".[6] Instead, Ntuli was widely perceived to have run on – and even to have co-led[48] – the same slate as Zikalala.[49][50][51] Zikalala's slate was understood to support the re-election of Cyril Ramaphosa as national ANC president and was known as the Ankole slate, after the cattle breed for which Ramaphosa had a penchant.[48] Thus when the conference began on 22 July, pro-Zuma delegates heckled Ntuli and Zikalala.[52] However, in November, Ntuli denied that he had been associated with the Ankoles, saying that he challenged Ramaphosa both publicly and privately on various issues.[6]

At the conference, Ntuli lost the election, winning 894 votes to Mtolo's 699.[53][49] He was nonetheless re-elected to the PEC for another term.[50][2]

National politics

ANC secretary-general bid: 2022

In 2022, ahead of the ANC's 55th National Conference in December, Ntuli launched a campaign to be elected secretary-general of the national ANC, one of the party's so-called Top Six positions. His campaign platform includes proposals to have both the party's secretary-general and its treasurer-general sit in the cabinet of the national government; he would achieve this by appointing a second secretary-general and making the treasurer-general a part-time position.[54][55][56]

In October, Ramaphosa's presidential campaign appeared to endorse a slate of Top Six candidates which excluded Ntuli. Ramaphosa was perceived to have "dumped" Ntuli for Fikile Mbalula,[57] and Ntuli's campaigners told Africa Report that they felt "snubbed".[58] However, Ntuli said that it was an advantage not to be aligned to any slate, because he would run on personal merit and would not be "beholden to any faction".[55] In November, he said that he would work under any ANC president and would not comment on his preferred candidate.[6] His candidacy received few endorsements not only on the national but also on the provincial and regional levels: none of the nine PECs announced support for him.[59] His own PEC in KwaZulu-Natal endorsed Phumulo Masualle, the former Premier of the Eastern Cape, for secretary general;[60] he described its stance as "baffling".[61] Eyewitness News reported that he was at odds with the rest of the PEC partly because he had declined to run against Zikalala in July.[62] Only two of eleven regions in KwaZulu-Natal supported his bid,[63] and he was not endorsed by the national leadership of the ANC Youth League.[64]

However, when the ANC's Electoral Committee announced its consolidated nominations list on 22 November, Ntuli was the frontrunner for the secretary-general position, having earned the most nominations of any candidate, including from 241 branches in KwaZulu-Natal.[65] Eyewitness News suggested that Ntuli was secretly supported – in particular in acquiring media connections – by allies of Gauteng's Paul Mashatile.[62] Ntuli denied this.[66]

Reference list

  1. 1 2 George, Zine (20 November 2014). "ANCYL's bid to mend cracks". Dispatch. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Ndou, Clive (25 November 2022). "Ex-KZN ANC provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli vows to put the ANC and country first". Witness. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  3. ↑ Madlala, Cyril (4 March 2022). "Ward 1 in eThekwini has a long history of wielding political power – now it's backing Zweli Mkhize". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  4. 1 2 Ardé, Greg (9 March 2020). "The ANC battle for control of eThekwini". New Frame. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  5. ↑ Makhaye, Chris (10 April 2022). "In blow to Ramaphosa, fraud-accused Zandile Gumede prevails in ANC's eThekwini conference vote". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mngadi, Siboniso (15 November 2022). "Mdumiseni Ntuli to run his race for the ANC secretary-general position and is not associated with any slates". Sunday Tribune. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  7. ↑ Dlamini, Bhekani (2004). "New SRC leaders elected" (PDF). UKZNdaba. University of KwaZulu-Natal. 1 (4): 1.
  8. 1 2 Motha, Mxolisi (30 January 2014). "Of course there is a rift between Senzo Mchunu and Sihle Zikalala". Politicsweb. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  9. ↑ Komisa, Zuko (2022). "In conversation with Mdumiso Ntuli, ANC Top 6 hopeful – contending for the Secretary-General position". Kaya 959 FM. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  10. 1 2 Matiwane, Zimasa (22 July 2018). "Youth League hailed for ANC KZN leadership outcome". Sowetan. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "KZN Youth League calls shots". News24. 22 July 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  12. ↑ Maqhina, Mayibongwe (3 February 2014). "eThekwini nominates ANCYL leaders at regional conference". Witness. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  13. ↑ Maqhina, Mayibongwe (23 July 2014). "Changes in candidate line-up as ANCYL conference nears". Witness. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  14. ↑ "ANCYL tries to avert chaos". News24. 23 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  15. ↑ Hunter, Qaanitah (27 November 2014). "Six 'memorable' moments from the ANCYL's un-conference". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  16. ↑ "The newly elected ANCYL leadership". News24. 6 September 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  17. 1 2 Harper, Paddy (27 July 2018). "'Bring Zuma back in from the cold'". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  18. ↑ Harper, Paddy (21 August 2017). "ANC top brass meets its Lower South Coast region over the suspension of its powers". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  19. ↑ Harper, Paddy (10 November 2017). "Stand-up guys, slate politics and the 'other' ANC". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  20. ↑ Nsele, Sabelo (26 May 2016). "New KZN Premier Willies Mchunu vows to improve service delivery". Witness. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  21. ↑ Harper, Paddy (25 May 2016). "Senzo Mchunu's portraits removed as KZN prepares for new premier". City Press. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  22. 1 2 Makhaye, Chris (16 July 2018). "KZN's Mdumiseni Ntuli likely to win position of secretary". Business Day. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  23. ↑ Mkhize, Nce (25 January 2018). "Provincial task team in KZN must help the ANC renew itself, Mike Mabuyakhulu says". Business Day. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  24. ↑ Goba, Neo (9 June 2018). "ANC KZN conference called off after disruptions". Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  25. ↑ "ANC KZN Top 5 elected after shaky start to conference". News24. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  26. ↑ de Klerk, Aphiwe (21 July 2018). "David Makhura chairs ANC in Gauteng, while Sihle Zikalala to lead in KZN". Business Day. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  27. ↑ Cele, S’thembile (21 July 2018). "Sihle Zikalala emerges victorious as ANC KZN chairperson". City Press. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  28. 1 2 3 Harper, Paddy (21 July 2018). "Mabuyakhulu 'unity' slate emerges victorious at ANC KZN conference". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  29. ↑ Mthethwa, Bongani (13 July 2018). "Disputed ANC KZN elective conference to finally go ahead". Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  30. 1 2 Grootes, Stephen (22 July 2018). "ANC's electoral slates are so 2007". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  31. ↑ "ANC KZN provincial conference kicks-off". eNCA. 19 July 2018. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  32. 1 2 3 4 Grootes, Stephen (18 May 2021). "Sihle Zikalala's journey towards ever-greater power might lead to national stage". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  33. ↑ Madisa, Kgothatso (22 July 2022). "We are bringing back a stable, united ANC KZN to the conference — Mdumiseni Ntuli". Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  34. ↑ Tandwa, Lizeka (24 July 2022). "ANC KwaZulu-Natal slams Zondo, NEC and judiciary in organisational report, defends Zuma". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  35. ↑ Tandwa, Lizeka (20 May 2021). "KZN to leverage on Zuma's popularity in this year's election". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  36. 1 2 3 Madisa, Kgothatso (17 May 2021). "'They are brought in carrier bags to destabilise KZN' — ANC's Mdumiseni Ntuli on being booed outside court". Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  37. ↑ Letshwiti-Jones, Pule (20 July 2021). "KwaZulu-Natal ANC says Ramaphosa's view on failed insurrection is an exaggeration". News24. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  38. ↑ Tandwa, Lizeka (14 August 2021). "Mabuyane win will boost Ramaphosa's chance". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  39. ↑ "Party's step-aside policy 'must not only be reviewed, but must be scrapped' – KZN ANC". Polity. News24. 25 July 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  40. ↑ Erasmus, Desiree (17 December 2020). "KZN ANC backs decision to keep graft-accused Zandile Gumede in provincial legislature". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  41. 1 2 Makhaye, Chris (7 August 2022). "Siboniso Duma's rise to power as ANC KwaZulu-Natal chairperson". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  42. ↑ Ngalwa, Sibusiso (27 November 2021). "Beware: Two Zuma men are now in charge of eThekwini". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  43. ↑ Makhaye, Chris (23 August 2021). "ANC KwaZulu-Natal: A party so divided, it faces political paralysis before the polls". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  44. ↑ Ndou, Clive (10 May 2021). "'I'm not raising King security matters to score political points' – Buthelezi". Witness. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  45. ↑ Duma, Nkosikhona (13 May 2021). "KZN ANC: Mangosuthu Buthelezi linking IFP, Zulu royal family for political gain". EWN. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  46. ↑ Duma, Nkosikhona (21 May 2021). "IFP questions ANC's commitment to reconciliation as Buthelezi clashes with Ntuli". EWN. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  47. ↑ Madia, Tshidi (23 July 2022). "Sihle Zikalala to face off with Siboniso Duma for ANC KZN chair". EWN. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  48. 1 2 Harper, Paddy (24 July 2022). "Clean sweep for 'Taliban' as Siboniso Duma becomes ANC KwaZulu-Natal chairperson". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  49. 1 2 Masuabi, Queenin (24 July 2022). "A blow to Ramaphosa as Zuma's 'Taliban' slate sweep KZN elections". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  50. 1 2 Madiba, Kgothatso (25 July 2022). "Former KZN ANC chair Sihle Zikalala excluded from provincial committee too". Business Day. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  51. ↑ Ntshali, Samkelo (10 July 2022). "ANC KZN holds back provincial conference". Sunday Tribune. Retrieved 25 November 2022 – via PressReader.
  52. ↑ Makhaye, Chris (24 July 2022). "ANC KZN: Jubilant 'Taliban faction' takes control of the troubled province after a stormy weekend". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  53. ↑ Mtshali, Samkelo (24 July 2022). "Chair Sihle Zikalala out, as Taliban faction makes a clean sweep of top five positions at ANC KZN conference". Sunday Tribune. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  54. ↑ Tandwa, Lizeka (23 November 2022). "ANC in KwaZulu-Natal should reassess stance on secretary general position – Mdumiseni Ntuli". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  55. 1 2 Ludidi, Velani (30 October 2022). "'Not appearing on any slate is a blessing,' says ANC secretary-general hopeful Mdumiseni Ntuli". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  56. ↑ Tandwa, Lizeka (8 October 2022). "'ANC treasurer must be in cabinet'". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  57. ↑ Phungula, Willem (13 November 2022). "Mdumiseni Ntuli prepared to work with Zweli Mkhize if he is elected as ANC president". IOL. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  58. ↑ du Plessis, Carien (18 October 2022). "South Africa: Ramaphosa rewards allies, fights dwindling ANC popularity ahead of 2024 polls". The Africa Report. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  59. ↑ Madisa, Kgothatso (22 November 2022). "Presidential adviser Chauke, KZN's Ntuli surprise with top 6 nominations". Sunday Times. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  60. ↑ Grootes, Stephen (22 November 2022). "One step closer to ultimate victory, Ramaphosa and Mashatile dominate ANC branch nominations". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  61. ↑ Ndou, Clive (10 November 2022). "KZN ANC extends olive branch to former secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli". Witness. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  62. 1 2 Madia, Tshidi (7 November 2022). "Mbalula vs Ntuli vs Masualle: the battle to control the ANC's secretariat". EWN. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  63. ↑ Phungula, Willem (3 October 2022). "Former ANC KZN secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli leads nominations for ANC's secretary-general". IOL. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  64. ↑ Tandwa, Lizeka (7 November 2022). "Zweli Mkhize wins ANCYL endorsement for party president". The Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  65. ↑ "ANC Top 6 – see the branch nominations breakdown with our interactive graphic". Daily Maverick. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  66. ↑ Madia, Tshidi (23 November 2022). "Politricking with Mdumiseni Ntuli". EWN. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
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