The ANC Chairperson Gwede Mantashe has warned that the party will soon find itself as a rural party if its members are not taking the party rebuilding and renewal serious.
Mantashe was speaking at East London during the cadres forum that was organised by the party’s regional leadership of Dr WB Rubusana in a speech that was themed as the balance of forces.
He said the support of the ANC was on increased from 1994 to 2004 elections but in elections that followed those it has been on a downward spiral. Mantashe warned that the party might lose Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal and find itself in a chaotic coalition government at the national level where the smaller parties would make demands of certain portfolios like it is the case with Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
He said if last year’s local government elections were national or provincial elections ANC would have been out of power in Gauteng and KwaZulu Natal.
“In all our metros in Gauteng we got below 40% while in the provincial government we are holding up with a single majority. If November elections were national or provincial elections we would be out of power in Gauteng. At KZN we dropped below 50%, if those were the provincial elections we would have been out below 50% and out of the provincial government. If you take note of what happened in these two provinces plus the Western Cape that we lost a long time ago you would see that in all the economic centres of the country we are losing power. We are becoming a rural party, just like you here, you’re a rural metro judging by how you dance,” said Mantashe.
He said the ANC in KZN concerned itself with societal matters such as the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma, divisions in the Zulu Royal House and the split of Shembe Church and made them its issues.
Mantashe warned the party members in the Eastern Cape and said they are close to destroying the organisation due to bitter contestation for political leadership.
“You fight to the point that you could kill each other when you disagree over the candidates, or this or that. Instead of identifying the issues of disagreement you turn them into enmity with the people that you’re disagreeing with and end up not even greeting each other. When we do that the balance of forces will shift from us and support the alternatives,” said Mantashe.
Meanwhile the ANC Dr WB Rubusana chairperson Princess Faku pledged regional support for Mantashe’s re-election as the chairperson and for President Cyril Ramaphosa. Faku also said the region supports the inclusion of the Eastern Cape chairperson Oscar Mabuyane into ANC top 6, without being specific on the position that Mabuyane will contest.
Faku also criticised ANC leaders who come to the region without notifying the regional leadership. Her criticism follows the visit by the ANC NEC members such as Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Lindiwe Sisulu. Dlamini-Zuma was in the province on Thursday in what was reported to have been an invitation by a certain local NGO. Sisulu addressed students at Fort Hare University on Wednesday.
The ANC Rubusana leadership said it was unaware of the presence of both leaders in the province. When asked about his endorsement and availability, Mantashe refused to be drawn into the contestation and said ANC branches will start pronouncing their preferences from the 7th of September.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here
