DURBAN - THE ANC is depleted and in its weakest state yet, with nearly 90% of its branches dysfunctional, and the focus should be on rebuilding it rather than talking about positions before its elective conference next year.
This was according to National Executive Committee member Senzo Mchunu following the emergence of a list said to be part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s slate at the party’s elective conference next year.
Speaking to The Mercury yesterday, Mchunu questioned the authenticity of the list and warned members against giving credibility to gossip. Mchunu is touted for the crucial position of secretary-general.
At the ANC’s 2017 elective conference in Nasrec, Mchunu, who is a former KwaZulu-Natal ANC chairperson, narrowly lost to the currently suspended party secretary-general Ace Magashule.
Apart from Ramaphosa, the list features Thandi Modise as deputy president, Febe Potgieter-Gqubule as deputy secretary-general, with party chairperson Gwede Mantashe and treasurer-general Paul Mashatile remaining in their positions. The emergence of the list has given rise to speculation that Ramaphosa is consolidating his hold within the governing party and is eyeing a second term as party president.
The ANC’s poor showing at the recent polls, Mchunu said, was a reflection of the state of its decline. This was one of the reasons that meetings were being held regularly by the party leadership, to ensure that rebuilding efforts were successful.
“Talk about positions at this stage amounts to nothing other than putting the cart before the horse, all our energies as ANC members should be on making sure that we have strong and functional branches,” he said.
While he had not seen the list, Mchunu expressed concern at the use of social media by people who did not have a genuine interest in the governing party, citing an old video that was circulating last week showing the former mayors of Msunduzi, Themba Njilo, and eThekwini, Zandile Gumede, dancing, allegedly because they were celebrating the ANC’s heavy losses in the local government elections.
“When the reasons for its uses are not genuine, social media can have devastating effects on the organisation,” said Mchunu.
He pointed out that nominations for leadership positions were made by ANC branches, and circulating the list showed scant regard for the party’s processes. When asked whether he would consider a nomination for any of the top six positions, Mchunu said commenting on the matter would amount to elevating gossip into a serious discussion point.
“Discussing ’the list’ elevates a matter that was probably spoken of in corners by random people, and this should not be done by genuine ANC members,” Mchunu said.
ANC KZN spokesperson Nhlakanipho Ntombela said the provincial leadership had not seen the list.
“The national elective conference will be at the end of the year and our focus is on holding regional conferences and then provincial conferences. Any talk of a national conference is premature at this stage,” he said.
THE MERCURY