ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the party is not at war with former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede after she joined the MK Party, as the ANC prepares for local elections.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the party is not at war with former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede following her move to the MK Party, saying the ANC remains focused on contesting the municipality ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Commission on Wednesday, Mbalula said Gumede’s move was not a surprise, claiming that the MK Party and former president Jacob Zuma had recruited her to become the face of the party’s campaign in eThekwini.
“Besides everything else, I don't think that there were issues between us and Zandile Gumede. I think it is not really a shock because at the end of the day with the coming local government, we knew that the MK party, Jacob Zuma, will go and recruit her to be the face of eThekwini municipality,” Mbalula said.
MK Party secretary-general Sibonelo Nomvalo announced earlier this week that Gumede had joined the party and would serve as its KwaZulu-Natal deputy convener.
