Nkandla – The ANC has postponed its NEC meeting as top officials were set to move to KZN to manage the deteriorating political situation in Nkandla, where supporters of former president Jacob Zuma were threatening violence if he was arrested as ordered by the Constitutional Court.
In a statement on Friday, the ANC said national leaders would work with provincial leaders to manage the situation in Nkandla.
“The meeting of the National Executive Committee scheduled for Saturday, 3 – Monday, 5 July 2021, has been postponed.
“In arriving at this decision, the National Officials were mindful of the situation developing in KwaZulu-Natal and the need for the ANC to give clear and principled leadership to ensure the maintenance of the rule of law and to avoid any violence, injury, or loss of life.
“NEC members will be deployed to KZN and will work with the provincial leadership in this regard,” the party said.
The Concourt sentenced Zuma to 15 months imprisonment for contempt of court on Tuesday. This came after the former president defied a Concourt that ordered him to appear before the Zondo commission of inquiry into state capture, testify and ordered did not have a right to remain silent.
Earlier this week, KZN ANC chairperson and KZN Premier, Sihle Zikalala, warned that the sentencing of Zuma would have far-reaching consequences for the country.
“The judgment of the Concourt bears far reaching implications for the ANC and country. President Zuma remain(s) one of those who sacrificed a lot for this country,” Zikalala wrote on his Facebook page on Tuesday, shortly after acting deputy chief justice Sisi Khampepe delivered her judgment.
Outside Nkandla, the situation was worsening as gunshots were being fired in crowds that had descended to Nkandla to support the former president.
On Friday, at around 2pm, a crowd started singing and they were joined by others. Amid that singing, one of the singing members in ANC regalia drew a gun and fired several rounds in the air.
The decision comes as, on Friday, more ANC members from other provinces started trickling into Nkandla to back Zuma.
The police have deployed officers in and around Nkandla as tensions continue to rise. – IOL
