Cape Town - The Western Cape ANC’s warring groups have set aside their differences, promising to unite to fight their common enemy – the DA – before next year’s elections.
Weekend Argus can reveal that senior members of the provincial ANC held “peace talks” at a hotel on the Foreshore last Sunday, aimed at ending the undercurrents and indistinguishable factions which started on the journey to Mangaung.
Top leadership, previously split into different camps, including those aligned to President Jacob Zuma and those aligned to the “forces of change”, are now said to be pulling together.
Efforts by Luthuli House to seek rapprochement between the former rivals appear to have worked.
ANC insiders say provincial chairman Marius Fransman and provincial secretary Songezo Mjongile practically signed “a blood brother’s oath” to show their commitment to the party. “This can be seen as a sign that even within the various factions, people are building bridges after the bitterness left by the Mangaung brawl,” one ANC member said.
Insiders say discussions revolved around a unified list of candidates. “Members are in agreement that from now on their allegiance is sworn to the renewal strategy, and not to individuals,” another member said.
While Fransman declined to discuss last Sunday’s talks, or who participated in them, he said that the ANC had, over the past two months, been critically analysing the party’s progress since the provincial conference in 2011.
“We’ve done a performance analysis of our period in power and we realise that the DA’s support in the Western Cape has decreased. As the provincial leadership we had to accept that we had different perspectives during the Mangaung period,” he said.
Fransman suggested that a more inclusive approach to leadership was needed. “I and the provincial secretary are showing mature leadership by trying to demobilise anyone who wants to continue a factionalised approach in the Western Cape. We will be speaking to everyone, no matter who they supported at Mangaung.”
Some insiders warned that while unity was paramount to the party’s success, leaders had to include old leadership in the province like ANC MPL Mcebisi Skwatsha, who still has widespread support.
In turn, Mjongile said the ANC’s onslaught on the DA had distorted what the ANC stood for, and that there was now no more time for in-fighting.
“… you will no longer see the ANC having spats in public,” he said… and when we talk and engage with people we will sell what the ANC stands for, not an individual.”
Weekend Argus