We may lose power completely - Mtolo

ANC KwaZulu-Natal secretary Bheki Mtolo has admitted that any further splinter from the party would see them losing power, and effectively handing the reins over to the DA.

In the same breath, the provincial secretary also ruled out any working relationship with the EFF, labelling the party and its leadership as unpredictable as the weather.

“It is hard to have a relationship with the EFF. We have worked with them in eThekwini and just like the weather they are unpredictable,” said Mtolo.

Speaking at a press briefing from the party’s office in Durban, he lashed out at those who had blamed the current leadership for the party’s poor showing at the polls in May, saying such analysis was devoid of truth and driven by elements of factionalism. There have been comments in many quarters, including social media, on how the party leadership under chairperson Siboniso Duma and Mtolo had grown aloof and how this had irked the voting public, resulting in many people seeking alternatives.

However, according to Mtolo, the party’s decline began in the 2021 local government elections where they lost 21 out of 54 municipalities when Sihle Zikalala was still chairperson and Mdumiseni Ntuli was provincial secretary.

Mtolo said that while the party had been hurt by the emergence of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) led by former president Jacob Zuma, they were encouraged by the results of the by-elections which the party failed to win as an indication that the voters had realised that Zuma was no longer a member of the ANC.

He added that by failing to act swiftly in isolating Zuma from the ANC it had created confusion among the electorate thinking him to still be in the ANC.

“We never thought Jacob Zuma would leave the ANC. We regret the times when we supported him in court,” said Mtolo, who accused Zuma’s MKP of acting against the people of the province through their actions. He cited one of the sittings in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature as a demonstration of MKP’s attitude towards democracy and governance in the province.

“There is a political party I won’t mention that opposed budget votes - essentially showing the people of KwaZulu-Natal a middle finger,” Mtolo said.

The ANC secretary said the firing of Members of Parliament by Zuma was likely to see some of them returning to the ANC because they knew it as a party that subscribed to democratic principles and values.

Mtolo indicated the ANC’s commitment to work with parties that followed the same principles of pursuing good governance and economic growth.

However, he lamented how many parties were emerging out of the ruling party and how this was hurting the black majority, resulting in the DA becoming the second largest party, although with a small support base.

He cited one of the ANC’s former presidents, Pixley ka Isaka Seme, who had warned about black people working along tribal lines as this resulted in them getting conquered by whites, adding that this was happening now.

“In every municipality or province, the DA is the second largest party and this is despite black people constituting 85%, and if this is not addressed the DA will be in power,” Mtolo said.

As part of addressing the decline of the ANC, Mtolo said the leadership would drive a renewal programme ensuring that branches were in a good state and the elected representatives were performing their duties.

He said this was the advice offered by former president Thabo Mbeki, who had emphasised the need for renewal in the party’s rank and file in order to ensure its survival.

“We accepted that our branches are weak due to prolonged institutionalised factionalism and gatekeeping,” said Mtolo, who indicated that as part of the renewal programme they would conduct an audit to identify and resolve dysfunctional branches across the province.

He said a team of leaders including former premier Sbu Ndebele, Mike Mabuyakhulu and Weziwe Thusi would be dispatched to branches and regions to roll out a political education programme which they hoped would strengthen the party ahead of the next elections.