The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has outlined a bold plan to revive the fortunes of the party following catastrophic electoral losses in the general elections last year.
This is according to ANC leader Mike Mabuyakhulu, who is the ANC KZN provincial task team (PTT) co-ordinator, who told The Mercury that central to this revival is placing the ANC at the centre of all communities and doing the work the party was built for more than 100 years ago.
Mabuyakhulu is a member of a 66-member provincial task team that has been established to restore the ANC’s standing, which has declined from being the leading party to the third-biggest party in the province. In an interview, Mabuyakhulu discussed the work being done by the provincial task team as well as the personal struggles he has endured in the past few years.
He was implicated in allegations of corruption a few years ago, and these allegations had a direct impact on his career prospects, leading him to withdraw his name from the list of ANC members set to be deployed to the National Assembly as well as the provincial legislature. He was acquitted of the charges in 2023.
Speaking on the impact the allegations have had on his career, Mabuyakhulu said, “Our names were besmirched, and this had a serious impact on my career. In 2019, when we had to withdraw our names, we were number one on the list for the provincial legislature and number three on the list for the National Assembly.”
Mabuyakhulu said he holds no grudges about how this unfolded, asserting that he subscribes to the principle that all must be equal before the law.
“The moment the allegations were made, I had to subject myself to the process. Our approach was always that we would subject ourselves to the process even though we knew that we had not done anything wrong (in the eyes of) the law and to the people of South Africa.”
He also said he does not believe that the party’s step-aside policy contributed to stalling his career. “The step-aside policy is an important policy that the party developed in order to deal with allegations against members, but mostly to ensure that the party restored its faith and trust in the eyes of the public. I was part of that policy and support it.”
“The ANC does not charge anyone; it is the National Prosecuting Authority that should be more circumspect and ensure that they are able to carry the matter to the end,” he said.
Speaking on the revival of the organisation, he said the PTT would not concern itself with the MK Party factor but would focus on the internal challenges identified by the party.
“We have a plan to revive the party in the province, and in large part, that plan is about being in the community and serving the community. We want to assure the public that wherever there are challenges, we are going to be there addressing those challenges. This will not just be for electioneering purposes; the point is to do what the ANC was founded to do more than 100 years ago, and that is to serve our people.”
He emphasised that ANC members must buy into this vision and serve their communities to restore the party’s credibility and image as a servant of the people. “There are going to be programmes aimed at rebuilding the ANC, but in parallel with those programmes, we will be serving the people. We are not rebuilding the ANC for the sake of rebuilding but to serve our communities,” he said.
On the internal work that needs to be done, he said there are structures whose terms of office expired in December, and the PTT will now be working on leading the province into a provincial conference.
Mabuyakhulu expressed enthusiasm for the programme to revive the ANC, noting that even the party’s alliance partners are involved and have welcomed the initiatives being put forward.
Edwin Mkhize of Cosatu in KZN said they are committed to working with the ANC. “As for the relationship, it is still too early to say, but we can say that things seem to be moving in the right direction.”
THE MERCURY
