Johannesburg – The South African National Civic Organisation’s (SANCO) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) on Sunday disputed former president Jacob Zuma’s highly publicised election as its chair, saying the poll was done by a “bogus” structure.
On Friday, the Jacob Zuma Foundation also congratulated the former president on being elected as chairperson of SANCO in KZN.
The foundation said it “joins the KZN SANCO in congratulating President Zuma for his election into the position of provincial chairperson of KZN SANCO.
“The foundation is confident that SANCO at provincial and national will benefit immensely from the seasoned and experienced president Zuma.”
However, in a statement issued on behalf of SANCO KwaZulu-Natal by Provincial Secretary Sizwe Cele, the civic body said the structure that “elected” Zuma was “bogus”.
The statement released on Saturday said: “SANCO KwaZulu-Natal is still flabbergasted by the events of yesterday, Friday which were distributed through social media about the launch of a structure which referred to itself as the KwaZulu Natal SANCO.
“To add on the fiasco it was announced that the octogenarian former president of the ANC and the country cde Jacob Zuma was elected as the KZN Provincial Chairperson of the same structure.
“This happens in spite of the existing SANCO KZN Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) being in place and very much effective in its duties of serving Abahlali.
“This structure is led by cde Lawrence Dube as provincial chairperson and cde Sizwe Cele as Provincial Secretary.”
The statement said this PEC was officially launched in Durban at the Moses Mabhida Stadium on 12 June 2021.
In terms of the constitution of SANCO its term of office expires after four years which is 12 June 2025 in this case.
“Clearly, yesterday’s events were nothing close to the SANCO Provincial Conference but an illegal and unconstitutional gathering of constitutional delinquents and has-beens who are immune to shame and disgrace while they are on expediency to achieve self-aggrandizement,” the statement said.
The dispute over the legitimacy of the people who elected Zuma has put a damper on the 80-year-old former president’s shine.
FULL SANCO STATEMENT:
