Two provincial branches of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress have appealed to the country’s former leaders to refrain from their apparent coordinated attacks against President Cyril Ramaphosa at public fora, Limpopo provincial secretary Reuben Madadzhe said on Monday.
The Limpopo and KwaZulu Natal provincial parties said the conduct of former presidents Thabo Mbeki, Kgalema Motlanthe and Jacob Zuma at the weekend were “disappointing to say the least,” Madadzhe said in a statement.
Madadzhe quoted the leaders as saying that under Ramaphosa’s watch the country had experienced little economic growth to show and the situation had degenerated.
Such concerns should be raised within the organisation and not in public fora, the Limpopo provincial secretary said, adding that Ramaphosa should be given time and space to lead both the ANC and the state.
Madadzhe said although the party and the state were experiencing challenges, these could not be attributed to Ramaphosa alone.
The provincial secretary advised the former leaders to use the correct channels to strengthen the party and the government of the day.
The ANC in KwaZulu Natal also noted a very strange occurrence wherein the three leaders attacked the sitting ANC president and the party publicly, with Zuma saying that Ramaphosa had “committed treason” without explaining how at his weekend presser.
“This is not acceptable,” KZN provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo said in support of Ramaphosa.
Mtolo said in a statement the continued public criticism of Ramaphosa was eroding the standing of the ANC in society.
“We call upon leaders of our movement to use the right channel to raise whatever frustration they have with the ANC – instead of attacking the party, its government and its leadership in public,” Mtolo said.
NM/jn/APA