Nomvula Mokonyane, ANC first deputy Secretary-General and ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula during a press briefing at Moses Mabhida Stadium, yesterday. Photographer: Khaya Ngwenya/ Independent Newspapers
Durban — ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula says the governing party is not threatened by the newly formed uMkhonto WeSizwe (MK) Party, which has the full backing of former ANC president, Jacob Zuma.
Mbalula was speaking at the ANC’s Mayihlome People’s Manifesto Launch media briefing held on Thursday at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
The briefing aimed to detail the governing party’s state of readiness ahead of its Manifesto Launch, which is expected to take place on Saturday.
Mbalula said that the MK Party was launching programmes every day, and the ANC had no interest in its activities.
“We don’t know if the MK will weaken the ANC. We don’t want to know if it has influence, but we didn’t think in our wildest dreams that we would find everyone in the country talking about Zuma taking the KwaZulu-Natal province.
“As opposed to us, we thought we would be in the same force in the same direction. Now, he has strengthened the hand of our opponents and he doesn’t see it that way.
“Collaborating with the enemy can never rescue the ANC. You can only rescue the party from within if you believe that something has gone wrong. If the ANC fails, Zuma will account for that. He would have contributed to the party’s failure.”
He said there were people who believe in Zuma and opportunists who support him because they stand to benefit from positions and patronage.
“Their era of patronage that they benefited from is over and they think they can get it through the MK Party. And that is why they have manifestos everywhere because there is nobody in charge,” said Mbalula.
Last month, Zuma visited the graves of Struggle stalwarts Moses Mabhida and Johnny Makhathini during the celebration of Moses Mabhida’s centenary. He urged the members of the party not to rush into creating structures within it, foreseeing that many people would be eyeing positions and wanting to become councillors.
In a recent uMlazi inroad by the MK Party, newly appointed youth leader Bonginkosi Khanyile accused Jabulani Khumalo, MK’s founding president, of plotting with MK member Thami Khuzwayo to remove Zuma from the party.
Khanyile claimed that the two had a meeting that was scheduled to discuss the plan to bring down Zuma.
Furthermore, Mbalula said there had been polls suggesting that Zuma was more popular than everyone else.
“We argue with polls after the elections, with a percentage on the board. People take polls very seriously and these polls keep coming every week,” he added.
Nomvula Mokonyane, first deputy secretary-general of the ANC, said the party was ready for the manifesto programme on Saturday.
“There will be various programmes that will take place in the form of celebration and a demonstration of readiness that is going to be shown through various activities and events prior to the national elections,” she said.
KwaZulu-Natal ANC secretary-general Bheki Mtolo said the party was all set to host more than 10 000 members of the ANC in the stadium, which he believed will be filled to capacity.
After the media briefing, Mokonyane, Mtolo, ANC KZN chairperson Siboniso Duma and party spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri inspected the venue prepared for the Mayihlome People’s Manifesto Launch taking place at 11am on Saturday at Moses Mabhida.
MK Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndlela had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.
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