ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu stuck to his guns by calling on the ANC National Executive Committee to resign.
Mthembu cited the ANC’s poor showing in the polls in August, adding that fraud charges lodged against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan were politically motivated.
But the ANC Youth League and Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association (MKMVA) hit back at Mthembu, calling on him to resign and to stop asking the entire NEC to go.
The ANCYL also called on Mthembu to stop labelling Gordhan’s charges as politically motivated.
Mthembu said he raised his concerns at the last NEC meeting. He said it seemed the ANC had not learnt from this as Gordhan had now been charged.
“We are not showing a change. We are factionalist. Maybe it is the right thing to do for the NEC to resign and to get other people.
“It’s my view that the NEC is paralysed. We need other people to take us out of this morass,” he added.
He reiterated his earlier remarks that he would support Gordhan when he appears in court on November 2.
But Mkhize said Mthembu was not disciplined by speaking outside ANC structures.
“The comments by Mthembu are reckless because he says our institutions are not credible. He must not (call on people on a) loud-hailer to resign, he must resign himself.”
This was the view expressed by MKMVA national chairperson Kebby Maphatsoe, who said Mthembu must stop lobbying other NEC to resign. Mkhize accused the ANC chief whip of politically grandstanding by calling on the NEC to resign.
“It is unfortunate Jackson Mthembu does not behave like a senior leader of the ANC. When you have issues with the ANC you must raise them internally.
“I don’t think NEC members can take instructions from Mthembu, he is reckless and not disciplined,” said Maphatsoe.
ANC national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said the NEC cannot resign en masse, even if it wanted to.
“The NEC is a national leadership of the ANC elected at national conference and is made up of 53 regions and branches.”
It would not be an overnight thing for NEC members to simply resign.
The ANC was now preparing for its policy conference to be held in June next year in the build-up to the elective conference in December. Kodwa said there were systems in the ANC and things did not simply happen overnight.