Thabo Mbeki to help ANC in KZN work on its 'challenges'

Former president Thabo Mbeki led an ANC political school in KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend. Picture: Isolezwe

Former president Thabo Mbeki led an ANC political school in KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend. Picture: Isolezwe

Published Feb 17, 2020

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Durban - Former president Thabo Mbeki is expected to make frequent trips to KwaZulu-Natal to engage with ANC structures in order to get them ready to deal with challenges like corruption and to lead society honestly.

This was announced by Mbeki himself in Durban on Sunday after concluding a two-day political school for the party’s provincial and regional executive committees from the 11 regions of the province.

Speaking to the media, Mbeki said he was invited by the provincial leadership to help it as it tries to navigate its way in a country faced by several challenges. He said he agreed because the ANC is a “leading political force in the country”.

With challenges like corruption and complaints from citizens, the party should be equal to the task at hand, Mbeki said.

Since his recall from the country’s presidency in September 2008, Mbeki has stayed away from KZN, a former stronghold of his political nemesis, Jacob Zuma. He made only his first return to the province in September last year, where he addressed the ­party’s memorial lecture for the late Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe.

“There are many challenges the country is facing, issues that are being discussed about corruption, about bad governance and so on. And I think it is critically important that the ANC discharges its responsibilities properly to address these things that people are complaining about, so that indeed we are able to move the country forward with all of these problems, which are about poverty, about inequality, about racism and about all these problems,” Mbeki said.

He added that the political school was about the renewal of the ANC so that the party could be strengthened enough to face its headwinds.

Mbeki described the discussions with the members as good.

“They are continuing the discussions because the province must say what is to be done. I have undertaken to the (provincial) secretary here, to the leadership, the chairperson and others, that I will come back to work together with the membership to answer these questions. How do we make sure that the ANC discharges its responsibilities to the people, including by addressing such matters as corruption, and so on?” Mbeki said.

On struggling state-owned enterprises Mbeki was diplomatic. On SAA, Mbeki said the country had to wait for the business rescue process to unfold.

“The government will pay all the necessary attention to the details about all of that because they are very serious challenges. In terms of Eskom, I don’t know what the government is going to do about this very big debt Eskom has These are all national assets, owned by the people, these are South African assets. So I think that it is important for the government to have a very close look at them and say what we do,” Mbeki said.

Political Bureau

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