Former President Kgalema Motlanthe has spoken up in defence of the ANC list and is set to follow in Mbeki’s lead by endorsing the ruling party.
Former President Kgalema Motlanthe has spoken up in defence of the African National Congress’ (ANC) controversial parliamentary list. In the same breath, Motlanthe has given a subtle warning to the party about the names which appear on the list.
While visiting the ANC’s pavilion at the Rand Show on Friday, 26 April 2019, Motlanthe answered questions from the media and, without mention of the ANC, said that the party’s parliamentary list does not have to live up to the expectations of South Africa’s citizens.
“Our electoral system is a proportional representation at a provincial and national level and the elections are therefore contested by political parties, not individuals. The internal processes of each party in terms of generating and finalising its lists is something that is not necessarily expected to live up to the expectations of the general populace,” he said.
However, Motlanthe did not pass up the opportunity to send a subtle warning to the party, drawing wide-scaled criticism for the inclusion of the names of party members who were implicated in state capture.
“Each party has to therefore ensure that it nominates and puts on its lists people who will inspire confidence. Any party which fails to do that is taking the risk and so that risk falls to the party which does that with its lists,” he said.
He is, however, expected to follow in the footsteps of former President Thabo Mbeki who, on Sunday, 21 April 2019, endorsed the ANC for the upcoming elections. Asked about a comment he made in a BBC interview in 2017, he said his sentiments were taken out of context.
“The point I was making was that that was in the lead-up to an elective conference and I said that elective conference presents an excellent opportunity for the ANC to renew itself. However, it would take lots of courage for the ANC at that conference to renew itself,” Mbeki said.
In the interview, he said that “It would be good for the ANC itself (to lose elections) and let me tell you why – because those elements who are in it for the largesse will quit it, will desert it and only then would the possibility arise for salvaging whatever is left of it.”
Abenathi Gqomo
a.gqomo@politicalanalysis.co.za