‘ANC cabinet must do the work and talk about it’: Mantashe wants party to amplify its achievements

ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe believes ministers deployed in government should adopt the DA's style and be loud about their work. 

Speaking during commemorative activities honouring late ANC president Oliver Tambo, Mantashe highlighted the party’s challenges and the importance of restoring its image and political dominance.

Without naming a party, Mantashe said the ANC's “opponents” often take credit for initiatives originally initiated by the party. 

“ANC members who are in those cabinet posts must do their work, and they must talk about it. The problem is we're not very keen on talking publicly about what we do, and our opponents exaggerate what they do, even if they only build on what was started by the ANC,” he said.

“We owe it to Oliver Tambo and to the ANC to restore the glory of the party.”

His remarks come after home affairs minister Leon Schreiber was criticised by President Cyril Ramaphosa's office for announcing the signing of a visa-free access agreement for diplomats and officials between SA and Ukraine.

Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said negotiations between the two countries started in 2020, five years before Schreiber started his tenure.

Mantashe said the party had a plan to regain its majority and political control.

“Our restoration will be to regain that majority and begin to govern on our own. That will be restoration,” he said.

Mantashe raised concerns about the party losing its majority in provinces which are key for economic growth. 

“We first lost control of major economic centres. We lost Western Cape, a major economic centre. This year we lost Gauteng, the economic hub of the country. We lost KwaZulu-Natal. We can list the reasons for losing control of the areas. There are many of them. The reality of the matter is that we lost. 

“When we lost the majority on May 29, we asked the question: what are we going to do? Are we going to go to the opposition benches? We said no, that will be irresponsible. Should we form a minority government? No, it will not be powerful enough. Should we form a grand coalition? We said no. And we asked the question, with who?” 

He said he was not convinced the EFF and MK Party (MKP) were “less dangerous” as a government of national unity partner.

“Everybody insulted us and said you're forming a coalition with the DA. That is not true. People said you should have formed the coalition with the MKP or EFF because they are less dangerous. If [former EFF deputy president] Floyd [Shivambu] could take a public platform and say 'our intention is to remove the ANC surgically from power', that is not less dangerous. 'Surgical' means you cut. That was the intention of the EFF. That is not less dangerous.”

The MKP wanted the ANC to remove Ramaphosa, he said.

“MK wanted to remove the president. We reminded them that when [former president Jacob] Zuma was president of the ANC, the EFF put the same condition. We refused and we are refusing now.”

Mantashe challenged the perception of the DA as an enemy. “They say we are sleeping with the enemy. I ask them, who is this enemy? And they say it’s the DA. I say that is selective righteousness, because you all sit with the DA, you serve with the DA in committees, but when it is in cabinet you become self-righteous. It is selective. It is not working.”

Any efforts to honour Tambo's legacy would be “hollow” unless the ANC restores its rightful place in society, he warned.

“If we can’t restore the ANC, anything we do is hollow. If we say we are committed to the legacy of Oliver Tambo but we cannot restore the ANC, it’s a hollow sound. It will only be meaningful if we restore the ANC to its rightful place in society.”

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