Cape Town - ANC MP Mandla Mandela has warned against the use of the governing party’s radical economic transformation policy as a springboard to establish a new party.
Mandela said the ANC should step away from brinkmanship and the disastrous course of those hellbent on driving the organisation to rupture.
“We must learn from our recent history that the parochial agendas that led to splits from the ANC since 1994 viz UDM, Cope and EFF only served to boost the ranks of the opposition,” he said.
He made the statement amid speculations within the ANC that those linked to the radical economic transformation forces were likely to break away from the ruling party.
The RET forces are linked with secretary-general Ace Magashule, who has been ordered by the national executive committee to step aside while facing his criminal charges, and its face is perceived to be MKMVA spokesperson Carl Niehaus.
Mandela said the governing party should not be self-indulgent as the DA’s right-wing was firmly in control of the party of privilege and experienced an exodus of black leaders.
“We must push firmly ahead with our agenda of service delivery and abandon the sideshows of internal bickering and dissension in our ranks.”
He also said the insidious disease of factionalism that was tearing at the fabric of the ANC was not only counter-productive but counter-revolutionary.
Mandela said the factionalism posed a greater risk to the ANC than any perceived threat that the organisation faces from the opposition ranks.
“We must caution against using a policy consensus position on radical economic transformation adopted by the ANC to craft the genesis of a new party, to deal with a faction or to settle old political scores.”
Mandela said it was time that the top leadership stepped up to the plate and steered them away from the daily retort that sent shivers down the spine of the electorate.
“We must invoke the wisdom of those who have gone before us and who dedicated their lives to the precept that ‘unity is the bedrock of the ANC’ and do all in our power to honour their legacy,” he said.
Political Bureau