‘Mthembu must lead by example’ Jackson Mthembu
Jackson Mthembu

Jackson Mthembu

DURBAN. — The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal said yesterday that the party’s chief whip Jackson Mthembu should lead by example by resigning first, rather than mobilising others in the party to do so. “Mthembu should do the honourable thing and resign first, without mobilising others to do the same,” said provincial spokesperson Mdumiseni Ntuli. Ntuli was responding to Mthembu’s comments made in a City Press report at the weekend, where he was quoted as having said that the current leadership had reduced the party to something that left a bitter taste in the mouth.

“Why should we not step down, given that we have messed up? All these things happened under our watch,” Mthembu was quoted as saying. The party’s poor performance in the August 3 local government elections had also caused tensions after it lost three key metros: Tshwane, Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay.

Several senior ANC leaders have also expressed their unhappiness about the National Prosecuting Authority’s decision to charge Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan with fraud. Ntuli said Mthembu was a member of the National Executive Committee and the National Working Committee and both these groups had several opportunities to raise and discuss challenges facing the party after the elections.

“The most dangerous thing that a leader can do is to conduct themselves like comrade Jackson — he has gone outside of the agreed positions of the ANC. “He is elevating himself and positioning himself to be above the collective of the ANC.” Ntuli said the ANC worked as a collective and “if you behave like Jackson, you become a populist. He must not be a populist”.

“If his views were not entertained by the NEC, then he should not go outside of the organisation and speak to the media about his views. This means that all 90 NEC members can go to the media and express their views, but they can’t because we are not a foundation of individuals.” — News24.

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