The convener of the ANC Mpumalanga provincial task team (PTT) Mandla Ndlovu has thrown the province's support behind President Cyril Ramaphosa for a second term as leader of the governing party.
Speaking during Ramaphosa's visit in Ehlanzeni region to talk to branches of the ANC, Ndlovu pleaded with Ramaphosa to accept a nomination for second term.
Ramaphosa is in Mpumalanga after the party named the province as one of the three hotspots for violence at branch meetings.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa is a leader of leaders, we know the ANC is safe in you are president. Comrade president, you are also safe in Mpumalanga,” Ndlovu said as he welcomed the ANC president to the province.
Ramaphosa smiled as those in attendance reacted by clapping hands. “Some people are fighting you, [but] not here in Mpumalanga; you are safe,” said Ndlovu.
Ndlovu was long-time acting chair of Mpumalanga ANC executive which the party disbanded last week.
He said the only question they have was if the ANC will be able to survive its current challenges to be able to retain power at the next general elections.
“We promise that in 2024 we are going to use the ballot box to retain power. President CR, if there will be calls from branches calling for your second term, don't say no to that call,” Ndlovu added.
Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal have been declared hotspot provinces where meetings of the ANC are disrupted by violence which lead to fatalities in other instances.
In Mpumalanga, at least five people have died after being beaten, stabbed or shot during ANC meetings since 2017, while more than 20 people have been injured, with the Ehlanzeni region being one of the most affected.
Coordinator of the Mpumalanga PTT, Lindiwe Ntshalintshali, said violent meetings were not signs of a good leadership as they also expose the ANC to possible legal challenges against the outcomes of those meetings.
“We need to know why a member of the ANC will shoot, beat and stab another person to death. These are foreign tendencies which we need to analyse and come up with a way forward to stop them,” Ntshalintshali said.
She said the provincial elective conference which was planned for this weekend has been postponed because of disputes from branches, hence the president will be talking to the branches, especially in the Ehlanzeni region.
“The conference has been postponed to at least towards the end of the month to allow other branches to sit as we are at 80% of branches that have sat and finalised their general meetings,” Ntshalintshali said.
She said they also have six disputes which the dispute resolution committee is currently working on.
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