Unity in the ruling party still a priority
The party said it would be great news for the province if Mabuza makes it to the organisation's top six.
MBOMBELA – The Mpumalanga ANC has refuted reports that it supports the factions which are calling for the governing party to convene an early elective conference.
Provincial secretary, Mr Mandla Ndlovu, said the province did not care much about an early conference, and added that unity in the organisation should remain a central subject.
“Those who are calling for an early conference should be mindful of peace within the party, that are we going to come out united after that,” he cautioned.
Also Read: ANC coming to terms with seven-point drop in Mpumalanga support
He added that it was vital that the party remain united should the conference convene. The provincial ANC said it would be happy if its chairman, Mr David Mabuza, emerged as the party’s national deputy president.
“We will be very comfortable if comrade DD had to emerge as the deputy president. That would be great news for the province,” he said.
The call has previously been made by the party’s youth wing deputy president, Mr Desmond Moela, who is a staunch supporter of Mabuza. Ndlovu also cautioned people who want to have the president, Mr Jacob Zuma, removed from his position before the end of his term of office.
“The principle in the ANC is that we support candidates until the end of their term of office. In president Zuma’s case his term of office will come to an end in 2017,” he said.
Also read: ANC keeps grip on Mpumalanga municipalities
According to Ndlovu, the organisation’s national executive committee visited the province on Saturday and was impressed with its performance in the municipal elections. Though the province faced a decline in electoral support, it still enjoyed much stronger support than in other provinces.
“We received feedback from the NEC and it is happy with our performance in the elections, however, as a province we feel that we should have done better than that,” said Ndlovu.
The party will hold its own provincial lekgotla this weekend. The outcome of the recent elections will be one of the items on the agenda.
