Some comrades appear determined to sow divisions in the African National Congress, its secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told the Star newspaper.
The newspaper quoted Mantashe as saying the party would celebrate its centenary next year more divided than it was in 2007.
Mantashe’s comments — contained in his report to the national executive committee (NEC) — revealed a picture of infighting and showed the party was failing to achieve its non-racial goals.
He said divisions were becoming “more glaring”.
“More worrying is the efforts comrades put into dividing the organisation … Some comrades work for chaos because chaos and anarchy are good forests for mischief,” he was quoted as saying by the paper on Wednesday.
Referring to the Polokwane conference in 2007 at which former party president Thabo Mbeki was unseated, Mantashe said some members boldly boasted that divisions had become a tradition.
“Kingmakers and bookmakers can only survive when the NEC is divided. Politics of blackmail get stronger when factions are growing stronger than the organisational structures.”
He also warned that the ANC Youth League’s “confrontational and aggressive” stance against the party would only “dent” the mother body in the eyes of society.
‘Fourth-best candidates’
ANC’s national headquarters, Luthuli House, is battling to recruit skilled and senior employees because of the low salaries it offers, according to a newspaper report on Wednesday.
Mantashe, who is also the organisation’s chief administration officer, said his office did not have “capacity”.
“The salary structure of the ANC cannot compete against both the public and the private sector for the best talent in the market. When we fill vacancies, we have to contend with the third or fourth-best candidates,” Mantashe said.
He said they were battling to recruit a general manager, at deputy director-general level, and a senior researcher with a PhD.
“We have been looking for a general manager in the head office for some time now. But the comrades who were head-hunted could not accept our offer.” – Sapa