Mbalula: "What we are doing as the ANC is trying to win the trust of the people, because we do not want coalitions, they work for democracy but not for governance." (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
Senior ANC leader and police minister Fikile Mbalula has publicly backed the Gauteng ANC’s deputy chairperson David Makhura to be elected secretary general of the party at its national elective conference in December.
After months of speculation that Mbalula was himself running a campaign to replace Gwede Mantashe as the administrative boss at Luthuli House, the police minister on Thursday morning appeared to withdraw from the race and nailed his colors to the mast.
The series of tweets were unexpected and surprising, leading many of his followers to question whether the police minister’s account had been hacked. Mbalula responded on twitter, saying “my account is not hacked…”
Makhura is believed to be campaigning alongside senior leaders who want deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa’s campaign.
But Mbalula framed his public utterances under the hashtag #ThinkingBeyondFactions, a signal of his call to compromise and move beyond the predetermined slates being punted by the ANC Youth League and military veteran’s association.
He also lashed out at ANC Free State chairperson Ace Magashule, who is allied to president Jacob Zuma and the preferred deputy secretary general of the ANCYL and MKMVA.
Mbaluala warned that Magashule’s election to the administrative office of the party could lead to its final demise.
The Free State ANC did not reply when asked to respond to the statements made by Mbalula about its chairperson.