SIYABONGA SITHOLE
IN A move that was expected, former KZN chairperson, Sihle Zikalala, has resigned as premier of the KZN province.
The announcement of Zikalala's resignation was confirmed by the ANC in the province yesterday, with reports indicating that Zikala would hold a press conference to formally tender his resignation later.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal welcomed Zikalala's resignation as premier, adding that Zikalala tendered his resignation on Thursday. No explanations have been given on the reasons for his resignation.
Last month, following the election of the new top five leadership in the province, Siboniso Duma, who was elected chairperson, assured members of the media that there would be no cabinet reshuffle or recall of Zikalala as had happened with the recall of Senzo Mchunu in 2016 to make way for Zikalala.
"Comrade Zikalala offered the provincial executive committee (PEC) his resignation yesterday, which was accepted. The PEC communicated with the ANC national officials and were instructed to make recommendations of three names of comrades, who will undergo an interview process.
“The names of Cdes Nomusa Dube-Ncube, Amanda Bani and Mbali Fraizer were submitted and they are going for interviews tomorrow. The ANC accepted Cde Zikalala resignation with pain and difficulty as he was still doing a great job in the province since he took over," the party in the province said in a statement.
The province says Zikalala did a great job during his tenure as premier of the province. The party thanked Zikalala for his contribution to good governance. "We are grateful to the job he has done for the people of this province and we appreciate that he made a conscious decision not to leave office hastily.
“Cde Zikalala's tenure has come with a lot of good in the province, including a number of provincial government departments receiving unqualified audit outcomes for the first time. We thank Cde Zikalala for his dedication to serve the people of KwaZulu-Natal as he was mandated by the ANC," the party added.
The ANC leadership in the province says it expects to swear in a new premier once interviews are concluded and Zikalala's resignation has been confirmed by the provincial legislature.