Mantashe, like other senior ANC members, holds dual membership of the ANC and SACP.
As questions swirl over who ANC and SACP dual members will vote for in next year’s elections, the ANC chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, has revealed who he will back.
Mantashe, like other senior ANC members, holds dual membership of both parties. The SACP has publicly criticised Mantashe’s commitment to the ANC.
“I will vote for the ANC; I am the national chairperson of the ANC,” he said.
He spoke to the media on Tuesday at the party’s National General Council (NGC). He spoke as members sat behind closed doors, far from the media, debating the future of the ANC and shaping the policies that will guide it. In these meetings, SACP members will be privy to the ANC’s election strategy.
The elephant in the room is the SACP’s decision to go it alone at next year’s polls.
Mantashe said the National Executive Committee (NEC) has not issued a directive to its members on how to handle this matter, but all members with dual membership will decide how they vote next year.
Ramaphosa’s successor
Mantashe also commented on reports that top party leaders are already positioning themselves to take over the party when the current term of the top seven and its NEC comes to an end.
“People are putting their names in the hat, and they want to be elected. That is premature at this point. The time for that will come, and I can tell you that I am old, I am not going to be available, I am a retiree,” he said.
Mantashe said the party is worried about the declining support, but has programmes in place to restore the image of the ANC.
“What we should be doing is trying to correct the attitude of society towards us. If we are not succeeding, we are not going to get any change in the support.”
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Foreign donations drying up
Another issue that has been taking precedence at this NGC is the inability of the ANC to pay its staff members.
This sparked a protest by disgruntled staff outside the Birchwood Hotel on Monday. The group was absent on Tuesday. The Citizen understands this is after an agreement was reached that they would only disrupt the first day of council.
In a media briefing on Tuesday, the party’s spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu, said they are looking at different ways to make the party financially stable.
“In the wake of the party funding act and the restrictions that it places, it means that the ANC must be duty-bound to the law and work with that legislation.
“We are committed to designing more revenue-generating strategies so that we can sustain ourselves,” she said.
Bhengu said the party used to get some foreign donations when they were still pursuing the liberation of the country from apartheid rule. She said those donations have now shrunk.
“Even under these new conditions, the resilience of the ANC is still there.
“Our staff are our biggest treasure. Without them, the leadership will not be able to do anything,” she said.
Her comments come as party officials drove into the venue in luxury cars, some with ANC branding. Delegates walked around with expensive watches and designer shoes.
The hotel itself is fully booked, and the gala dinner on Tuesday will feature exquisite food and foreign drinks. The seats and plates will be filled by officials, some from dysfunctional municipalities where food and water are a daily struggle and not guaranteed.
These signs of extravagance also contrast with the battles many of the party’s staff face, some of which, The Citizen understands, will be working at the conference just hours after airing their grievances.
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