KwaZulu-Natal secretary-general, Bheki Mtolo Picture: Doctor Ngcobo/Independent Newspapers
Very few, if any, ANC members will support the call by the party’s KwaZulu-Natal secretary-general, Bheki Mtolo, for President Cyril Ramaphosa and secretary general Fikile Mbalula to take responsibility for the party’s dismal performance during the May 29 national and provincial elections.
On the face of it, Mtolo makes a pertinent assessment that taking responsibility should begin at the top as for the first time since the dawn of democracy, the ANC lost power to govern the country alone.
“ANC nationally got 40%, meaning the NEC lost the country by 40%. The NEC led by Ramaphosa and Mbalula lost the country to that. They must take that responsibility. Duma (chairperson) and I are taking full responsibility for losing the province to 17%,” he said.
This implies that the Top 7 of the ANC, in particular Ramaphosa and Mbalula, should explain why they should remain in the driving seat when the ship sank under their control.
Mtolo has hit the nail on its head with his call. The problem here is that it comes from the wrong person, someone who is increasingly under pressure to explain how the ANC lost its biggest province in terms of membership.
It’s also worth noting that the same Mtolo sang high praises for Ramaphosa’s leadership, including changing his views on the president’s Phala Phala farm scandal. He initially believed that Ramaphosa should be subjected to increased scrutiny before suddenly doing an about-turn on the matter.
Now that the ANC’s KZN leadership faces being disbanded, Mtolo is finding fault with others. Again, there is nothing wrong with this but it raises questions about the kind of leaders the ANC has in its ranks.
Mtolo’s flip-flopping will make it hard for his call to find a place in ANC branches. The sooner they and the national leadership realise that Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe Party caught them napping, the sooner they will realise that finger-pointing will make matters worse for the party ahead of the 2026 local government elections.
Already, the SACP has confirmed it will contest those elections, presenting an uphill battle for the ANC to regain lost ground.
Cape Times