Gwede Mantashe Urges That ANC Branches Evaluate Nominees Ahead of December Elective Conference

• Gwede Manshase offered ANC branches advice about nominees selections ahead of the elective conference in December
• The ANC national chair urged that branches choose future ANC leaders based on what they can offer and not on any individuals recommendation
• Manthashe warned that being sucked into factional battles will spell the electoral decline of the ANC

EASTERN CAPE - Gwede Mantashe, the national chair of the African National Congress (ANC), has advised branches to carefully consider and evaluate the people they intend to submit for party posts at the upcoming national conference.

Mantashe offered guidance while delivering a memorial lecture on Duminasi Mafu in Butterworth, Eastern Cape. Mantashe added that it is essential that branches discuss what potential leaders can bring to the ANC and not just select them from a list.

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SABC News reported that the national chairperson warned branches to avoid factional conflicts or risk the ruling party's electoral decline.

Mantashe's advice to the branches comes as support for the ANC is waning, most notably from the party's alliance partners, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu).

The ANC's fractured relationship with alliance partners Cosatu

According to TimesLIVE, the incident in which workers refused to allow Mantashe to speak at their national convention exposed the rift between the two alliance partners.

During the congress, workers from various trade unions heckled Mantashe off stage, singing "Hamba Gwede" when he tried to address the audience.

Chief among the workers' complaints was that the ruling party and its government failure to implement a public sector wage agreement from 2018.

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President Cyril Ramaphosa has pledged to restore what appear to be broken relations between the ruling party and Cosatu. While speaking to ANC supporters during a Letsema campaign in Kimberly, Ramaphosa said that the ANC would not allow the alliance to split as the wage agreement stalemate could be resolved.

South Africans weigh in on Manstshes advice

South Africans didn't take kindly to Gwede Manstahe's suggestion that branches should assess potential candidates.

Here are some reactions:

@EliasmMokwana commented:

"We have thoroughly discussed and assessed, and we found that you are one of those who failed this country with your greed and arrogance."

@NdlovuOwen added:

"It's NONE of his business."

@187indamafakinH said:

"moeg and braindead."

Sbusiso Malinga warned:

"We are busy assessing the president we want in 2024. The ANC will see what Saul saw..."

Magesh Pillay asked:

"Who assessed him?"

Lesiba Molokomme suggested:

"The branches are doing exactly that...they know the qualifications needed. One of them is a corruption record, and Gwede knows that."

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President Cyril Ramaphosa said he had no intention of firing Gwede Mantashe, Pravin Gordhan, and Andre De Ruyter

Previously, Briefly News reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed his stance on ministers Gwede Mantashe and Pravin Gordhan and Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter and said that no one was to blame for the rolling blackouts.

He addressed loadshedding during a National Assembly question and answer session on Thursday, 29 September.

Ramaphosa’s remarks about the country’s power cuts came after Democratic Alliance (DA) Leader John Steenhuisen reminded him about his promise to end loadshedding in 2015. The president said at the time he had put his hopes on the Medupi and Kusile power stations coming into operation.

Source: Briefly News