Fikile Mbalula laughs off Jacob Zuma's two-thirds target for MK party

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said on Wednesday the MK Party's target of a two-thirds majority in May's election was just a pipe dream as its leader, Jacob Zuma, failed to amass such numbers when he was at the helm of the governing party. 

Mbalula was addressing a party rally in Msinga, north of KZN, where he spoke candidly about the ANC’s disappointment with Zuma establishing the party.

“I hear them (MK Party) say they want two-thirds but how will he (Zuma) get it when he never gave us (ANC) — we last got it with Thabo Mbeki,” he said. 

Mbalula said the ANC had not expected “a father who grew up in this struggle, worked for this liberation, a veteran took the spear and left with it”. However, he emphasised that the ANC was forging ahead.

“We are fighting him,” he explained.

Mbalula tore into the character and credibility of ANC members who had left for the new party.

“We know those who joined MK did so to get positions, that is why it's quiet here in the ANC because the troublesome people have left. When I look at them it's people who had problems. They are bitter because they didn't get positions. Some are in court trials because of corruption,” he said without mentioning names.

While Zuma said his formation of the MK Party was an attempt to “fix the ANC from the outside”, Mbalula urged ANC members not to believe that.

“He took the spear and left with it. You can't leave to work with the enemy and then say you are fixing the ANC by stabbing us with this spear. The enemy is happy, they want us divided, that's not a struggle. The organisation will always have challenges but you can't desert it,” Mbalula explained. 

He did not expand on who the enemy was.

In what appeared to be a bid to dissuade ANC members from joining the MK Party, Mbalula warned “don't allow yourselves to be used”.

He reassured party members that the ANC had not betrayed Zuma: “He had his time, we fought and made him president despite his cases, now it's Cyril Ramaphosa’s turn and when that ends another leader will come on and no matter what happens the ANC will remain. Leaders come and go but the ANC must remain.”

The ANC is criss-crossing KZN mobilising support for its manifesto launch on Saturday. While the party is facing an uphill battle to maintain its dominance ahead of the election, Mbalula told party volunteers to not be ashamed of highlighting its wins. 

“When we campaign don't go as if there's nothing you can tell the people — this election is do or die. The enemy says we did nothing but our history is evident — we have changed lives.

“The ANC is loved by people through its actions, if we work the people will never leave us for the enemy,” said Mbalula.

He referred to service delivery as the top of the party's wins and a demonstration that the ANC cared for people. 

Examples included roads, clinics, schools, electricity — adding that the ANC was dealing with load-shedding. 

He highlighted social service interventions such as grants, health interventions such as ARV treatment and the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV. 

Mbalula attributed most of what he called “mistakes” attributed to the ANC, such as corruption, to individual behaviour that was never sanctioned by the party and something that the ANC was correcting.

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