By Simon Nare
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the party’s national executive committee is discussing the fate of its Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provincial structures after their dismal performance in the May elections.
Mbalula said rumours were being peddled about the imminent disbandment of the two structures and a decision would eventually be made.
Addressing the media on Friday on political developments, he said there were no holy cows in the organisation.
The party would meet the two structures and then the matter would be taken to the National Working Committee and ultimately the NEC.
“So, NEC will take a decision and NEC will want to take a decision informed by the engagement. We went to KZN, we went to Gauteng and we came back. We engaged with the provinces, even on Monday it will be the same process, we will engage with them.
“We will tell them what we think. I have seen other people in public making statements to the effect that this is the ANC perspective that informs that disbandment. No, disbandment is not the only option,” he said.
Mbalula added that whatever decision the NEC took, it would be to strengthen the ANC in both provinces.
He said the ANC leadership could not be onlookers.
Mbalula added that during engagements with some of the structures following the elections, they had blamed the national leadership for the ANC’s poor performance and had complained that its leaders were blaming them for the results.
He said these structures did not comprehend that when diagnosing the problem, a healthy solution had to be found.
The NWC was merely doing its work and recommendations by structures would be taken to the NEC.
“And I know people are running phoning NEC members left and right saying don’t disband us. Others are saying if you disband them make me this or make that. So, we know that. Now, the point is, this is not a game. This about the life and death of the ANC.
“The ANC must recover in Gauteng and KZN, and that is not about personalities. It’s about the organisation (and) how it responds to our demise in these provinces. We didn’t not even drop in these provinces, we lost power,” he said.
While there had been a decline in support in the other provinces, Gauteng only received 35% of the vote and KZN 17%.
He said the party was currently engaged in a fight back campaign. Gauteng has three metros – Ekurhuleni, Joburg and Tshwane – while KZN has eThekwini.
“And you want to tell us that the leadership of the ANC must fold its arms and not do anything because if you do anything to reinforce yourself you are dealing with egos of people. It is not about that.
“Even if it means we must lose friends for the organisation, that must happen. Decisions have always been taken in the ANC. It would not be for the first time. Any leadership that doesn’t take decisions is not leadership,” Mbalula told reporters.
He added that leadership was about giving direction, even if that decision meant that the structures were not disbanded, but reinforced.
That alone was a decision, the secretary-general said.
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