The ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, has called a meeting with the provincial leaders of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) following their underperformance in the May 29 elections. This move has sparked speculation that the provincial committees may be disbanded.
In the invitation letter, Mbalula made it clear that the PEC members needed to attend the meeting.
However, the agenda is unclear and it will only be shared in due course.
“It is compulsory that all PEC members attend the meeting with the NWC. The agenda of the meeting will be shared in due course,” the letter read.
The meeting is expected to be held in Boksburg on Saturday.
This is after the ANC suffered a devastating blow in the May 29 national and provincial elections.
Nationally, the party failed to win the majority and their support dropped to 40% but the defeat was witnessed more notably in the two provinces.
KZN obtained 17% while Gauteng got 34% support. These were the most contested regions in the country.
ANC in KZN lost the votes to former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party.
Part of the meeting is that there are concerns that the present leadership would not be sufficiently prepared to go head-on with MKP in the province.
The purpose of the next meeting is to give the province input on the most recent performance evaluations of the elections.
In KZN, where calls for the removal of the provincial leadership have gained traction, this comes amid fierce lobbying inside the ANC.
However, KZN ANC secretary Bheki Mtolo fought back and told the national ANC including the NEC that they should not blame them for their own mistakes.
Mtolo said President Cyril Ramaphosa and Mbalula must explain why the party failed to win elections because they are the leaders.
“ANC nationally got 40%, meaning the NEC lost the country by 40%. The NEC led by Ramaphosa and Mbalula lost the country to that. They must take that responsibility.
“Duma and I are taking full responsibility for losing the province to 17%,” he said.
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