‘The bar is very low’ — What ANC veteran Mavuso Msimang thinks of party presidency battles

ANC veteran Mavuso Msimang is the latest to take a swipe at party president Cyril Ramaphosa, saying his five years at the helm of the governing party have been dismal.

Speaking on SABC News recently, Msimang called for Ramaphosa not to be elected for a second term at the party’s 55th elective conference in December.   

He said the ANC was facing a crisis of existence because of poor leadership “it has absorbed into its ranks”. 

“The bar is very low when you get people who have been implicated in very serious issues and scandals wanting to run for president,” said Msimang.

He said he felt the ANC's approach to dealing with corruption within the party was a betrayal to voters. 

“I felt sometimes like [former president] Kgalema Motlanthe who says the ANC might do much better, and would gain, from sitting in opposition benches, getting closer to the people and getting to see how others are performing or performing badly and renew their mandate with the people,” he said. 

ANC national executive committee (NEC) member Tony Yengeni said Ramaphosa does not deserve a second term.

Speaking on eNCA, Yengeni criticised other current NEC members for openly calling for Ramaphosa to get a second term.

“The ANC has its own internal processes to guide its work and preparation for conference. But this time around we have seen what we have never seen before, where members of the NEC go public to promote what they call a second term for the president,” he said. 

Yengeni said a second term must be on basis of the work the president has done to improve living conditions for South Africans.

ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini told IOL  the ANC was in its darkest years.

She also warned of dire consequences if Ramaphosa is elected for a second term.

“We have never experienced this. As women we disagreed with president [Nelson] Mandela, president [Thabo] Mbeki and president [Jacob] Zuma. Even in the tough conditions when Mandela had tension with his wife (Winnie Madikizela-Mandela) and she was part of the leadership of the Women’s League, Mandela never shut down the league,” said Dlamini. 

“At this point we have no women’s league, no youth league and no MKMVA. We are in the ANC’s darkest years. All our leagues have been killed. All that exists are small scattered units who cannot tell Ramaphosa he must account for Phala Phala.”

Dlamini alleged Ramaphosa co-opts people into his office and into the organisation so they can agree with him. 

Defending Ramaphosa, former tourism minister and ANC stalwart Derek Hanekom suggested his critics will eat their words after December when he “starts his second term”.

“ You are saying this about the president of the ANC. The truth is we are emerging from the darkest days, but we wish you well for your life after December when Cyril Ramaphosa starts his second term,”

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