The African National Congress (ANC) Provincial Chairperson in Limpopo, Stanley Mathabatha has called on party members to defend the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Addressing the elective conference of the Peter Mokaba region in Polokwane, Mathabatha says factionalism divides and weakens the party.
Over 260 delegates have been taking part in the conference since Tuesday. The top five positions were uncontested.
Mathabatha has spoken strongly against divisions with the ANC.
“Those who oppose our progressive agenda know that the only way to stop us is to divide us. They also know that the only way to weaken us is to attack our leadership and isolate us from our leaders. It is therefore our revolutionary duty to defend our elected leaders. We must defend the leadership of President Ramaphosa. President was elected by a duly convened and certified conference of the ANC therefore we must respect and support him.”
All five executive positions of the ANC Peter Mokaba region were elected uncontested at the party’s 9th Regional Conference in Polokwane. Political analyst Elvis Masoga weighs in:
Mathabatha also has urged ANC members to refrain from using social media to attack the party leadership and criticise the party.
“Often comrades confuse independent thinking with recklessness. I must also use this opportunity to warn those amongst ourselves who have found silence home in insulting the leadership of our structures in public. The tendency of using social media to insult our leaders and criticise the party’s decisions must come to an end. The tendency of using social media to promote division and perpetuating anarchy within the ANC must end here and now.”
ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) member and the head of the party’s political school, Dr David Masondo says the party should be united in order to bring South Africa together.
“If the ANC is divided, South Africa is divided. Our people will be divided. I cannot honestly imagine. And I sometimes sit and think how South Africa will look like without the ANC in my honest thinking. I am not trying to sell propaganda, trying to convince and all that, it is the ANC that is able to bring South Africans together,” adds Masondo.
The conference also reflected the poor performance of the ANC in the November 1st Local Government Elections.
The provincial party leadership urged party members to work hard to make sure people have clean drinking water, jobs and better roads.
In the related video below, Ramaphosa says ANC’s poor performance in the local polls should serve as a lesson:
