Former African National Congress (ANC) president Thabo Mbeki says if the governing party were to collapse, the country would become ungovernable. He was addressing the party’s delegates in Free State.
The ANC Free State Interim Committee invited Mbeki in an effort to foster unity in the party. Mbeki says the ANC is too big and important to fail.
“Comrades the ANC owes to nation, to the country to sort its self out, not so that Mxolisi Dukwana he should be in charge, but so that the ANC plays a role that is expected of it by the people. This state which the ANC has always been committed from its foundation, to serve the people of South Africa, that’s all it needs to do, its to serve the people of South Africa. We must bring back the ANC to do that.”
Thabo Mbeki is in the Free State to deal with ANC Unity and Renewal:
Warning against a “trap”
While wrapping up a three-day trip to the Free State Mbeki also warned against what he calls a “trap” where suddenly ANC gatherings are used to already pronounce on the next party leaders, way ahead of the 55th elective conference in December.
He says it’s anti-ANC and should not be encouraged.
During the ANC January 8th statement in Polokwane, Limpopo, Chairperson of the party in that province, Stan Mathabatha pronounced that Limpopo would support Cyril Ramaphosa for a second term in office.
The former party president told delegates that the focus should be to deal with internal challenges like factionalism.
“The reason it’s a trap is because if we take that route, then we will be preoccupied with this question who is supporting me and canvas and all sorts of things and completely forget about these urgent national tasks. Preoccupied with this question; I want to be a leader, time-consuming, absorbing all your energies in the meantime we are talking about all these important national challenges.” – Additional reporting Abongile Dumako
ANC media briefing on engagements with Thabo Mbeki:
