The African National Congress (ANC) has refused to be drawn on the leaked recording of its National Executive Committee meeting.
In the recording, ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa can be heard reading the riot act to party members ahead of the May polls.
Ramaphosa called on members to ensure that the party garners 57% of the electorate’s vote.
Addressing the media in Johannesburg, the party’s Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula says the comments are not the position of the governing party.
Mbalula says, “People, when they are in a meeting, they speak their mind and that does not become the position necessarily of the ANC, so when people invade that space, either by members of the ANC or by extension who are mischievous, undermining their party or otherwise, others intercepting ANC meetings which are illegal.”
“If the ANC was going to make it its business to intercept meetings of political parties, you would be accusing us of using state resources against our opponents. We are preparing for an election and in preparing for an election, you do what all other political parties do,” he adds.
VIDEO | The ANC briefs the media:
