Secretary general Fikile Mbalula says the ANC’s top seven leaders will not automatically step down should the party lose the elections. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy, M&G
Secretary general Fikile Mbalula says the ANC’s top seven leaders will not automatically step down should the party lose the elections.
Mbalula was speaking at the FNB Stadium in Nasrec, Johannesburg south, on Thursday where the party will hold its Siyanqoba (we will conquer) Rally on Saturday in a final push for votes.
A poll released by market research group Ipsos last month predicted the ANC would get 40.2% of the national vote, the Democratic Alliance (DA) 21.9%, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) 11.5% and newcomers uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party would reach 8.4%.
If the results are similar to the prediction, it would be the first time the ANC loses its majority in its 30-year reign.
He said if the party loses the elections, the top brass will reflect and report on where things went wrong.
“We have got processes and that evaluation will be done by the membership of the ANC in various conferences that will say we will not re-elect you because you did not do well.”
Mbalula also commented on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s remarks about what would happen if the ANC failed to outright win the 29 May elections.
Ramaphosa said in an interview with Eyewitness News on Monday: “The democracy that we have crafted has enough shock absorbers and has enough ability to be able to get our people and our country through the challenges that may happen, like it did when we faced the unrest in July 2021 with Covid and many others,” adding that South Africans were very resilient people.
“So fear not about any calamity that will descend on us. The people of South Africa will not allow our democracy to descend into ashes,” he said.
Mbalula said the president was correct in his remarks, adding that South Africa was not a weak state and that there would be no problem if changes in government happened.
The secretary general said the government has always been ready for succession because the country has a public service that is not loyal to a political party and is one that is ready should there be a change.
“South Africa has created a strong state under the leadership of the ANC. I don’t want to venture into that [the ANC losing the election] because it won’t happen, we will still be in charge in the next elections. The president was addressing the principle, as a head of state and government, so he has seen transition over time.”
Speaking at a media briefing, the ANC’s Gauteng secretary, TK Nciza, said the provincial leadership of the party was confident that the ANC would fill the FNB Stadium on Saturday with Gauteng residents rather than busing people from other provinces.
He added that the party would ensure that all those who were in the stadium were registered to vote.
“There’s a march we will lead from Soweto. We want to show you what the people of Soweto are saying about the ANC, it’s their home. Our preoccupation is not to fill up the stadium but it’s to win the elections.”