A tug of war has erupted over the political allegiance of a slain ANC member.

KwaZulu-Natal ANC secretary Super Zuma has slammed the Cyril Ramaphosa faction after it claimed on Monday that ANC activist Lungisani Mnguni‚ who was assassinated in Camperdown near Pietermaritzburg‚ was their delegate.

“This is too painful for me to even speak about‚” said a distraught Zuma on Wednesday morning.

Zuma said aspersions have been cast on Mnguni’s loyalty to the political mandate of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma‚ given to him by his branch when he was nominated during a recent branch general meeting.

“This is creating havoc and doubt. It is now as if Lungisani was a sell-out and that he received the nomination under false pretences‚” he said.

CR17 spokesman Sithembiso Mshengu sent out a media alert on Monday morning saying their delegate has been shot in Nkanyezini.

“I really do not know what Mshengu is trying to achieve. Lungisani is among four young men I groomed when they were still at university. They grew politically under me because they said they liked my style of leadership‚” Zuma said.

“As the secretary‚ I know exactly how his branch nominated during a BGM [branch general meeting] and how he was nominated as a delegate with an NDZ mandate a few weeks ago. Now because the man cannot speak for himself‚ this is creating doubt not only in political circles but in his family as well‚” said Zuma.

He said Mnguni‚ 34‚ has always been his protégé and has never dissented. Zuma claims they spoke all the time. He said his political activism was well-known in the Moses Mabhida region. “His legacy is destroyed now because he would always be viewed as a sell-out who sold the mandate of his branch and collective position‚” said Zuma.

Mnguni was killed in Ward 3‚ the same ward in which Mkhambathini Ward 3 councillor Everlast Mkhize was gunned down after a branch meeting in August. He was attacked while on his way to deliver in one of the local schools. The businessman was involved in the school food nutrition programme in the area. He is a former ANC branch chairperson in Ward 7 in Mid Illovo.

Mshengu said about Zuma: “I won’t entertain him‚” and didn’t comment further.