ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, addressing the media at the party's headquarters Luthuli House on Monday. Picture: Itumeleng English/ Independent Newspapers
African National Congress (ANC) believes its recovery project was going very well and views the Government of National Unity (GNU) as an essential tool in their comeback strategy to power.
“GNU is functioning, stable and lights are on and the economy is projecting to be growing at a faster pace,” ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told a media briefing at the party’s headquarters Luthuli House in Johannesburg on Monday.
“We are attracting investments in the country and that is what we want.”
This was after having a meeting with the National Education, the National Education, Health, and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) over the tensions between KZN secretary Bheki Mtolo and the union.
Mbalula said the GNU was already a success and gave hope that the ANC could regain lost electoral support.
Among the GNU’s most prominent critics are the ANC’s tripartite alliance partners, Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu), who are totally opposed to any cooperation with the Democratic Alliance (DA) or any other perceived right-wing parties.
Both Mbalula and Nehawu president Mike Shingange said that alliance partners had agreed to differ respectively on the GNU.
SA Communist Party (SACP) secretary-general Solly Mapaila has not been diplomatic about his opposition to the new government even calling the ANC “sellouts.”
But Mbalula disagreed, arguing that a GNU was the best option under the circumstances and the arrangement was already working in the ANC’s favour.
For the first time, the ANC lost the elections and its parliamentary majority since 1994.
“Like I said, who wants the GNU? We did struggle for GNU. You look at our strategy and tactics, we don’t struggle for GNU. Our strategic objective is to remain in power forever,” Mbalula clarified.
He acknowledged that it was normal to have different opinions about the GNU but it was of importance for Mapaila to address the matter respectfully.
“We can’t be seen as if we are enemies because we are not. We are allies and need to move in that way,” he said.
kamogelo.moichela@iol.co.za
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