"We are not loyal to individuals but to the ANC": KZN's "response" to Mbalula's criticism

KwaZulu-Natal ANC provincial coordinator Mike Mabuyakhulu has called on party members not to be loyal to individuals but to the ANC in a veiled response to criticism by ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula.

Last week Mbalula, speaking on the last day of the National General Council on Thursday, said that the ANC was unhappy with the performance of KZN provincial task team.

Mbalula said when he introduced the task team in February, he thought they would move like a Ferrari to fix the ANC in the province but their pace to deal with problems resembled a (Toyota) Tazz.

He said that the task team would be reconfigured again and new people would be added.

“KZN was a big disappointment. We did not achieve what we wanted to achieve in that province. In February next year we will put them aside and appoint new people,” said Mbalula.

Mabuyakhulu on Sunday addressed thousands of party supporters in Umzimkhulu.

Veering from his written speech, Mabuyakhulu said as much as they respect and admire the leaders of the movement, they will not be loyal to an individual but to the movement. He said they did not join individuals but the ANC.

“Comrades we have not joined an individual so we will not be loyal to an individual. We love, respect and admire our leaders but we are not loyal to them because we did not join individuals," said Mabuyakhulu.

Mbalula cited factionalism within the task team as the reason for its failure, saying instead of focusing on rebuilding the party, the task team members were busy fighting over who must lead.

When the Mabuyakhulu and Jeff Radebe-led task team was appointed in February, they were directed to conduct branch audits to check whether the ANC still existed in the province after being decimated by the Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) in last year’s general elections.

In August Mbalula directed the province to hold a provincial elective conference by the end of November, however, this did not materialise.

Dual membership (of the ANC and MKP) was cited as the main reason behind the task team's failure to hold branch elective conferences.

Regional leaders in the party's biggest regions, eThekwini and Moses Mabhida, cast doubt on their ability to meet the deadline because of the issue of dual membership.

They said those party members who had technically left and joined the MKP were still holding on to their ANC memberships and removing them would be a lengthy process.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za