In December 1996, Gcabashe was elected to succeed Senzo Mchunu as ANC Provincial Secretary in KwaZulu-Natal,[1] with Bheki Cele as his deputy.
[1] At the time, Gcabashe was reportedly close with Jacob Zuma, then the ANC's Provincial Chairperson.
[8] He stood for re-election in the next general election in 2019, but he was ranked 59th on the ANC's party list and did not secure a seat.
[9] He was also a shareholder – along with Scott and opposition parliamentarian Senzo Mfayela – in Dezzo Holdings, which was controversially awarded a R2.1-billion housing contract with the provincial government in 2011.
[10][11] At the same time, Gcabashe was a member of the Provincial Executive Committee of the ANC's KwaZulu-Natal branch, gaining re-election to his seat in 2012[12] and 2015.