ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has warned Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan to move faster in dealing with Eskom and Transnet. Picture: David Ritchie / African News Agency (ANA).
The ANC’s secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has issued a stern warning to ministers and provincial Premiers to pick up their socks and work or face removal.
This warning was extended to Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan as Mbalula spoke about load shedding and the poor rail network that has plunged the country into darkness.
“Now I am going to say to Pravin Gordhan, I was with him there, I was also a minister of transport. Comrade Pravin move faster or otherwise we will move you,” he said.
Mbalula was addressing the ANC’s Women’s League conference which is taking place this weekend in Nasrec, Johannesburg.
Mbalula told the delegates at the conference that the loss of the ANC’s power is the loss of the African Revolution.
In his urge to inspire the Women’s League to join in the party’s efforts to retain power come next year’s general election, Mbalula said issues such as load shedding and fixing the country’s rail network were high priority.
“Load shedding will be defeated and it will be defeated not temporarily but permanently. And not for elections but forever because it is eating into the economics of our country.
“The Reserve Bank says the repo rate stays the same and it says fix load shedding and fix the logistics of the country. It says move the heavy vehicles off the road to rail and that is the policy of the ANC.
“Comrade Pravin move faster on Transnet or otherwise we will move you,” he said.
Mbalula further maintained the party does not want incompetent Ministers and provincial Premiers.
“When you are a Premier or a Minister, you must be busy,” he said.
He added that as the next general elections approach in 2024, the ANC was not looking for coalitions must for outright power.
“The ANC deserves to be returned to power and we must work to retain our power,” he said.
kailene.pillay@inl.co.za
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