Mbalula’s tweet shows he is ‘disconnected from reality’

The ANC has become an unreliable partner in its contract with the electorate and is not committed to fighting corruption, which could sink the party in future elections, experts say.

They were reacting to ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, who yesterday called on all South Africans to associate themselves with the ANC following the party’s 55th national conference.

The ruling party was the “conveyers of hope and solidarity amidst all the challenges we face as a country”, he tweeted.

Experts disagreed with Mbalula, who had recently conceded the ANC’s support base could drop as low as 30% in the 2024 general election.

Political analyst Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast from Nelson Mandela Bay University said not only had the ANC dragged its feet in rendering services to the people, it was slow to implement the findings of the Zondo Commission on state capture because its leaders were implicated.

“I will argue that the ANC was also on trial at the commission because the president came wearing two caps there – as head of government and as the president of the ANC.

“But then the ANC has been wanting to find a political solution to those findings because they want to exempt some ANC leaders affected by those findings.

“How does the public take a party like that seriously?

“The ANC … only fight against corruption in theory but not in practice,” Breakfast said.

He said leaders such as Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe, who is also the ANC’s national chair, Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture and NEC member Zizi Kodwa and the party’s deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane, among others, were implicated in state capture but the party had so far taken no action against them.

The suspension and subsequent expulsion of former party secretary-general Ace Magashule was “a drop in an ocean” and was “factional”.

He asked why such action was taken against Magashule when so many others within the ANC had been fingered in graft.

Breakfast asked: “Why do you exempt people like Mantashe because the findings were against him? What about Zizi Kodwa? Why do you pick and choose who to suspend?”

Analyst Sanusha Naidu was scathing in saying instead of bring hope, the ANC had left the people in a state of hopelessness.

She cited various areas where the ruling party had disappointed the electorate – from unemployment, inequality and poverty to load shedding, increased electricity tariffs and regularly raising the interest rate.

“How do they expect to be trusted, with a poor track record in fighting corruption, nepotism,” she said. “I don’t think Mbalula’s statement reflects reality.

“The question that should be asked is, what do you mean with your statement when people are in state of hopelessness?

“I don’t know whether they still believe they have traction with the people or believe they are a party of choice anymore; their statements and actions are not in sync with what is happening on the ground. They are completely disconnected to reality.

“I think Mbalula is just posturing because it’s election period ahead,” Naidu said.