ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says he will not step down voluntarily despite growing criticism over problems with the party’s councillor candidate lists.
Mbalula told journalists on Tuesday that he would accept responsibility if the ANC found that he had acted wrongly, but said any decision about his position should come from the party.
His comments follow calls from some within the ANC for a special national executive committee meeting, while others have demanded his resignation.
Mbalula blames technical problems
The dispute centres on the ANC’s submission of councillor candidates to the Electoral Commission of South Africa ahead of the local government elections.
Mbalula said the party had submitted its list, but claimed the IEC captured only 3% because of technical glitches.
The Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal were among the provinces affected.
He argued that calls for his removal were premature because the party had not yet received a full report on what happened, including from ANC electoral committee chair Kgalema Motlanthe.
Internal critics turn up pressure
Some ANC members reportedly believe Mbalula should take responsibility for the problems and want the NEC to consider action against him.
Mbalula accused some of his critics of using the candidate-list dispute for internal political purposes.
He said being secretary-general meant receiving praise when the organisation performed well but also being blamed when things went wrong.
Mbalula added that his office had done significant work but was now being judged primarily on the list controversy.
ANC performance under spotlight
The secretary-general warned that internal divisions could damage the party’s election campaign.
He said the ANC leadership was working to secure a strong result while some members were already considering what a poor performance could mean for the current leadership.
Mbalula acknowledged that the election result would ultimately reflect on those currently leading the party.
However, he maintained that he would not resign based on pressure from individual critics.
He said he would follow whatever decision the ANC takes if an internal process finds that he was responsible for the candidate-list failures.