Uncertainty About President Cyril Ramaphosa's Attendance at ANC Conference in KZN, Could Be Booed and Heckled

• The African National Congress's ninth provincial conference in KwaZulu-Natal will be taking place this weekend
• Political experts say President Cyril Ramaphosa has no choice but to attend the conference, even if there is a chance he could be heckled
• Some South Africans believe that Ramaphosa should attend because he is the leader of the ANC, while others say he will be booed

DURBAN - President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to address the African National Congress at the ninth KwaZulu-Natal provincial conference taking place in Durban this weekend.

The area is a well-known stronghold of the former president Jacob Zuma and there are rumblings that the Ramaphosa might not attend due to hostility against him.

A source close to the president stated that Ramaphosa is not afraid of going to KZN and does not regard any part of South Africa as a no-go area, reports TimesLIVE. The source added that Ramaphosa needs to send the ANC's message of renewal and unity in KZN.

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Dr Fikile Vilakazi, a University of KwaZulu-Natal political analyst, stated that since Ramaphosa wants a second term as the ANC president, it is quite essential for him to attend the KZN conference.

Vilakazi added that Ramaphosa needs to prove that the current political scandals he is facing are not an obstacle, especially since the ruling party is facing a leadership crisis.

“He has to go there, he doesn’t have a choice," said Vilakazi.

Vilakazi further stated that Ramaphosa should not be worried about the possibility of being booed or not well received by KZN constituents.

Ramaphosa has been under intense scrutiny following the revelation that a theft took place at his Phala Phala farm in 2020. The news broke after former State Security boss Arthur Fraser laid a criminal complaint against the president at the Rosebank Police Station.

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Fraser stated that over $4 million dollars (approximately R62 million) in hard cash was stolen and Ramaphosa failed to report the matter to the police, reports IOL.

However, Ramaphosa has not been well received by crowds for a while and was chased away from a May Day rally in the North West by Sibanye-Stillwater employees who were on strike over wages at the time. They felt that the president had failed them and did not want to be addressed by him.

South Africans weigh on

Some South Africans believe that Ramaphosa should go to the ANC conference in KZN because he is the president of the party and has been attending other conferences.

However, some people say he will not attend the conference, while some believe that he will be heckled and booed.

Here's what they had to say:

@MarumoMashigo said:

"Phala Phala is so smart and intelligent, smooth talker, he will go."

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@black_rondon said:

"He's the President of the ANC, he must. If he fails, it will prove he is factional and he must forget about this unity he is busy preaching about. He can't only go to conferences where he is guaranteed a win through his slate. These are ANC conferences, and he is the president."

@ZANewsFlash said:

"Well, all the indications are there that Cyril Ramaphosa will be drowned with pro-Jacob Zuma songs (Wenzeni uZuma is one of them) at the weekend's elective conference of the ANC in KZN to be held in Durban. At worst, he will be repeatedly booed and heckled by some delegates."

@_LindyLindt said:

"KZN will show you flames I can't wait for Cyril Ramaphosa to learn more about ama Zulu over the weekend."

Citizens march against President Cyril Ramaphosa and government, says they are unhappy with the quality of life

Briefly News previously reported that South Africans held marches in Durban and Cape Town to express their frustrations with the government and call for intervention. Marchers in Durban were led by fired African National Congress member Carl Niehaus and Nkosentsha Shezi, calling for President Cyril Ramaphosa to be arrested.

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Various organisations joined together to deliver a list of grievances to the KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. According to TimesLIVE, the memorandum was titled “Arrest president Ramaphosa” and requested that police arrest the president when he arrives in the province for the ANC’s conference.

Meanwhile, in Cape Town, citizens marched to hand over a memorandum to the Presidency to call for Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, and Police Minister Bheki Cele to be fired.

Source: Briefly News