ANC KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) secretary Bheki Mtolo says they won’t take the fall after the party’s support dropped to 40% in the May 29 elections, arguing that President Cyril Ramaphosa and secretary-general Fikile Mbalula are responsible.
The ANC, for the first time since democracy in South Africa, failed to win the elections outright and their support dropped drastically.
As a result, a government of national unity (GNU) and government of provincial unity (GPU) were established.
Mtolo blamed the national leadership for the defeat, claiming that he and KZN chairperson Siboniso Duma were only accountable for the province's mere 17% of the vote in the province.
Mtolo underlined on Thursday, while addressing ANC members in the General Gizenga Mpanza Region, that national leaders needed to accept responsibility for the mistakes made.
“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.
Despite the difficulties, he commended the branches and regions that prevailed and invited them to share their winning recipe.
ANC national leaders travelled to KZN to find out why the party lost the province it had seized from the IFP.
The ANC and all other parties in the province lost to former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party.
MKP got a staggering majority of 45%.
The KZN Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) and the National Working Committee, the ANC's highest decision-making body, will meet in Gauteng on Saturday to discuss the matter.
One of the topics on the agenda is the possible dissolution of the PEC.
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