African National Congress Women’s League President Bathabile Dlamini has called on ANC members to embrace unity in the governing party and to focus on winning next year’s general elections.
Speaking at centenary celebrations for the late ANC stalwart Albertina Sisulu in Soweto on Sunday, Dlamini says party members shouldn’t focus on divisions, but on unity in the organization.
“We have allowed people to come to our meetings and tell us the ANC is divided. Even us through our lips, not in meetings, we go out and say the ANC is divided.
“And we are saying we must go and work hard for the elections. If we don’t get appointed to positions, we get angry. And if we are elected we think that we are more important than the people that elected us.”
Dlamini has implied that some ANC members are still aggrieved over the outcome of the party’s 54th national conference which elected Cyril Ramaphosa as party president in December 2017.
“Firstly, the ANC has taught us that if you stand for elections you must be resilient enough to accept defeat. Secondly, once you get elected you must embrace all members of the ANC and those who were not elected must respect and subject themselves to the elected leadership.”
Dlamini’s comments come afterCity Pressreported on Sunday that a group of concerned ANC members in Mpumalanga last week approached the Mpumalanga Circuit Court of the Pretoria High Court to have the provincial executive committee (PEC) disbanded because they claim that Ramaphosa was illegally elected by bogus branches from the province.
The PEC in question was previously led by current Deputy President David Mabuza.
If the court action succeeds, this could have implications on Ramaphosa’s election as party leader as most delegates who voted for him are from Mpumalanga.
The case will reportedly resume on 13 December.
