ANC engages with members who joined MK

ANC HEAD of elections strategy Mdumiseni Ntuli said the party was engaging with those who have resigned to join the newly formed MK Party.

He said it was a “matter of deep concern” that long-standing party members were leaving the ANC and the party wanted to get to the bottom of the circumstances behind their decisions.

Former ANC president Jacob Zuma announced on December 16 that he would not campaign or vote for the governing party and instead endorsed the MK Party.

Since then Zuma has embarked on a vigorous campaign as the MK Party has set up branches and structures in all nine provinces.

The ANC has suspended Zuma but disciplinary processes will only take place after the May 29 elections.

Ntuli said national engagements were taking place with those who had recently left the ANC as well as those who had been approached to join the MK Party.

“We want to know why people left, but we also want to engage with those who have been approached and find out why this is the case. From initial discussions, we know that some of those who left were once councillors who were left out of leadership structures or leadership at different levels.”

Ntuli said that the party was working to strengthen the ANC to deliver on its strategic task, which is to “improve on the quality of cadreship in the party”.

“Part of the challenges include a weakening of the centre in terms of generating policy ideas and the support and guidance of cadres. We started working on these threats to the centre of the party last year and realised we must strengthen research and communications and engage in a battle of ideas as the centre directs the movement of the democratic state,” Ntuli said.

He said it was important to launch the party manifesto in KwaZulu-Natal as the province is one of the largest economies in the country, while the election campaign will end in Gauteng just before the elections.

“The manifesto speaks of correcting mistakes as there have been challenges but the electorate will identify with the ANC based on their own lived experiences.

“There is no other party in this country that has succeeded in putting in place an alternative strategy on reconstruction and development in the country.” Ntuli said.

He said the ANC differentiated itself from other parties because it had a broad range of leadership at the provincial and national levels.

“Many South Africans when they have to make a decision on May 29 may be unhappy with how the ANC has handled challenges, but rationally will say that no one else makes a compelling argument on a political and strategic mandate to take South Africa forward. With this, we are well ahead of all the other political parties in the country.”

Political analyst Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast said the ANC had been dealt a blow with the formation of the MK Party and even if the latter had not been formed, the ANC would have dipped to below 50% of the vote in the upcoming election.

“There are suggestions that the ANC will now fall below 40% but realistically they will drop to 46%.”

Breakfast said policies like the ‘step-aside’ and its implementation had left people disillusioned.

“The problem is that the ANC leadership does not inspire people and almost everyone has faced a scandal or is tainted.”