The African National Congress (ANC) Chairperson in Gauteng Panyaza Lesufi has called on the party to adapt or face being wiped off form the country’s political landscape.
He was speaking at the start of their PEC Lekgotla ,on Sunday in Boksburg, east of Johannesburg. ANC provincial and regional leaders, as well as party members deployed in government, are attending a two-day meeting. It was called, among others, to reflect on the outcomes of the May 29 elections and to work on a programme of action for government of provincial unity.
“If the voters have sent the message that they have sent comrades, and we ignore them again. We either adapt or we perish, we either adapt of we die, we either adapt or we close shop. And comrades is not going to assist anyone to finger point and say this province has made us to lose, all of us averagely as a country we have achieved 40 percent and that’s a loss and we thintha ourselves and rise and rebuild this movement because there is no other movement for us except the ANC.”
The ANC’s provincial chairperson says if the party is to survive, it must change its ways. He says they will adopt a no-business-as-usual approach.
“We must change things comrades. Actually this Lekgotla, it is a Lekgotla, that must accept that we have been defeated and that we must do things differently. Comrades we continue to behave like this, it’s the end of all of us. I said to the PEC yesterday, the ship is sinking, and this particular ship is sinking at a faster rate. Instead of all of us trying to safe this ship from sinking, we are squabbling amongst ourselves on who must take ownership of the ship. You can take the ownership of the ship but the ship will be at the belly of the sea and it would be meaningless.”
Video: Gauteng ANC PEC Lekgotla: Panyaza Lesufi lambasts self-serving officials
Lesufi has also warned all in sundry not to celebrate the former Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) deputy president, Floyd Shivambu’s decision to jump ship to the MK Party as the ANC faces a similar problem.
“Floyd Shivambu from the EFF to MK Party it can’t be seen as a non-entity, it’s a historic event and as the leadership of the ANC we must analyse it in a manner that will strengthen the presence of the ANC. If we are going to be quick to celebrate the departure of comrade Floyd from the EFF we will forget that our self we are going through a departure of members of the ANC to MK Party, that we still going through that particular process. So we manage this departure in a manner that we don’t get easily excited, we might be experienced. When UDM was established they came out of this political party called the ANC, when COPE was established they came out of ANC, when MK was formed they came out of the ANC. The departure of Floyd is a double edge sword that we need to manage carefully.”
Meanwhile, the party says it will hold meetings with its structures and alliance partners to formulate a way forward as it grapples with the restoration of its battered public image in the eyes of the electorate.
EFF Deputy President Floyd Shivambu resignation:
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