The violent death of Victor Mashabane‚ speaker of the Nkomazi Local Municipality‚ "is not the first murder of a member of the ANC and there is little doubt that it will not to be the last.”
So said the ANC stalwarts and veterans in a statement on Friday‚ linking his death to the “current trend” of murders in the ruling party being part of “factionalism and corruption‚ which is part of the crisis within the ANC and our country”.
Mashabane was shot dead on Tuesday night after being abducted from his home in Kamhlushwa‚ about 100km from Nelspruit.
The ANC stalwarts said evidence suggests that many of those killed “appear to be those who‚ along with the overwhelming majority of members of the ANC‚ and other South Africans reject corruption; want to see a return to the historical values and principles of the ANC and believe in service to communities without thinking of self-enrichment”.
They announced that a consultative conference of the ANC will be held from 17 to 19 November‚ before the ANC’s elective conference in December‚ to start addressing the rot in the ruling party - and in the broader socioeconomic and political life in South Africa.
“We still argue that‚ for the ANC at least‚ the most appropriate intervention is to directly confront the demons in our midst and do what the ANC has always done at times of internal crisis to use the agency of a consultative conference‚” the stalwarts said.
* The ANC stalwarts and veterans are signatories to the document “For the Sake of our Future”.
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 