ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe has urged the party’s leadership in regional structures in the province to rise above “petty issues” holding back the ruling party.Mantashe was addressing thousands of ANC supporters including 3000 volunteers at the Mount Ayliff sports grounds yesterday, during the launch of the party’s local government election campaign in the Alfred Nzo region.
He called on leaders to ensure that candidates were screened by communities first, so they did not see their future leaders’ faces on street poles for the first time.
“When we go to conferences, we go there with our own people that we are supporting. But once a new leadership is elected, that means the end of the contest,” he said.
Factionalism had led to many deserving people not ending up in positions they deserved.
He said regional leaders needed to assert themselves in rooting out elements working against the party.
The Daily Dispatch reported that some ANC branch meetings in the Alfred Nzo region turned violent last month.
Regional chairman Sixolile Mehlomakhulu assured Mantashe that the ANC region was ready to kick-start the election campaign.
“There won’t be any violence here. We are ready to fight to defend the revolution,” he said to loud cheers from the crowd.
He said the party had garnered 98% of the votes during the last local government election, and party officials had high hopes they would win them again.
Mantashe warned volunteers there was no gain in what they were letting themselves in for. “They are the lifeblood of the ANC.
“In 1952, volunteers started a programme of action where they defied the apartheid regime by sitting in places reserved for whites only,” he said, adding that many of them had been arrested. “You have to work hard; you feel pain, you have to lead and you are known in your community. If we don’t get this right, then there won’t be an election campaign.”
He said older volunteers who were not longer active needed to be co-opted back into the campaign to help the younger volunteers, who could learn from their experience. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
Mantashe calls for end to factionalism in ANC
Mantashe was addressing thousands of ANC supporters including 3000 volunteers at the Mount Ayliff sports grounds yesterday, during the launch of the party’s local government election campaign in the Alfred Nzo region.
He called on leaders to ensure that candidates were screened by communities first, so they did not see their future leaders’ faces on street poles for the first time.
“When we go to conferences, we go there with our own people that we are supporting. But once a new leadership is elected, that means the end of the contest,” he said.
Factionalism had led to many deserving people not ending up in positions they deserved.
He said regional leaders needed to assert themselves in rooting out elements working against the party.
The Daily Dispatch reported that some ANC branch meetings in the Alfred Nzo region turned violent last month.
Regional chairman Sixolile Mehlomakhulu assured Mantashe that the ANC region was ready to kick-start the election campaign.
“There won’t be any violence here. We are ready to fight to defend the revolution,” he said to loud cheers from the crowd.
He said the party had garnered 98% of the votes during the last local government election, and party officials had high hopes they would win them again.
Mantashe warned volunteers there was no gain in what they were letting themselves in for. “They are the lifeblood of the ANC.
“In 1952, volunteers started a programme of action where they defied the apartheid regime by sitting in places reserved for whites only,” he said, adding that many of them had been arrested. “You have to work hard; you feel pain, you have to lead and you are known in your community. If we don’t get this right, then there won’t be an election campaign.”
He said older volunteers who were not longer active needed to be co-opted back into the campaign to help the younger volunteers, who could learn from their experience. — sikhon@dispatch.co.za
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