The African National Congress (ANC) in Limpopo has called on former presidents to desist from publicly attacking President Cyril Ramaphosa.
In a statement, the party in the province says it has noted with disappointment, the conduct of former presidents Thabo Mbeki, Kgalema Motlanthe and Jacob Zuma.
Over the weekend, both Zuma and Mbeki spoke about Ramaphosa and how they believed the situation had degenerated under his watch, with little economic growth in the country.
The ANC in Limpopo says such concerns should be raised within the organisation.
They say Ramaphosa should be given time and space to lead both the ANC and the state.
Provincial Secretary Reuben Madadzhe says though the party and the state are experiencing challenges, they cannot be attributed to Ramaphosa.
The provincial structure wants the former leaders to use the correct channels to strengthen the party and the government of the day.
‘Unfortunate’
Mabuyane believes that the two senior leaders of the movement should have raised their issues within the structures of the ANC, rather than launch a public attack on the party and its leadership.
“These challenges are not new, they are not for this current leadership, even the current president of the ANC. These are challenges that the ANC has been inheriting over years, so we should take collective responsibility to a certain extent and see how best are we finding a panacea to address these problems, so I do not think it is going to be a right way. What we have just observed over the last 24 hours, actually it is very unfortunate, actually destructive, really bordering on something that we should not really witness as the younger generation of the ANC,” he added.
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‘Attacking of the sitting president’
The Provincial leadership says as much as it respects the role played by the former party leaders in building the ANC and the nation, it is not acceptable for them to continue to lash out at Ramaphosa on different public platforms.
In a statement, the ANC in KZN says it has noted a very strange occurrence wherein the above leaders are attacking the sitting ANC President and the party publicly. It says that is not acceptable.
In a surprise turn of events, the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has come strongly in support of Ramaphosa.
Provincial Secretary, Bheki Mtolo in a statement says the continued public criticism of Ramaphosa is eroding the standing of the ANC in society.
“We call upon leaders of our movement to use the right channel to raise whatever frustration they have with the ANC instead of attacking the ANC, its government and its leadership in public,” says the statement.
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Additional reporting by Nkululeko Nyembezi and Abongile Dumako.
