ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has dismissed the notion that there are tensions between former head of state Thabo Mbeki and President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The conflict between the political heavyweights intensified after the dramatic withdrawal of the legacy foundations from the upcoming national convention, which Ramaphosa is convening.
At the centre of the clash is control over who owns the national dialogue process, how much control the government exercises in its operations as well as concerns over transparency about how the budget is going to be spent.
Despite the purported tension between the pair, Mbalula insists on playing it down.
“As the ANC, we have not understood the withdrawal from the convention by the foundations as a standoff between the former president and the current president. There are issues that have been raised by the legacy foundations that did not participate in the convention and we believe that those issues are being attended to. They must be engaged.”
Instead, he said, Luthuli House should embrace the sometimes controversial views shared by the former president, as a leader who emanates from ANC ranks.
“Every time President Mbeki has a different view and raises his views about the discourse, we should understand them as views which are constructive. Whether he raises them inside the ANC or outside, we are fortunate to have somebody like him in our terrain. He is robust in engagement, but we don't view this as a standoff. These matters are important and they should be engaged. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, those issues will be addressed.”
Mbalula echoed the sentiments shared by some, who put Mbeki at the centre as one of the figures who spearheaded the need for the national discussions.
“President Mbeki is among the architects of the idea of the dialogue, long before the elections, and after. He sits in our NEC and he has made his views very clear in relation to how as an ANC, we must first and foremost characterise and define our relationship with the dialogue.
“Fundamental to that, which we agree with, is that this dialogue is a dialogue of South Africa and is led by the citizenry. It is not ANC-led, or by any political party for that matter.
“If there are issues of misunderstanding in the convening, we believe that they can be resolved. We are encouraged by the developments that the eminent persons' group has been engaging and it looks like they will find each other. We welcome that.”
The secretary-general said the dialogue has ideals firmly rooted in the party's Freedom Charter. He dismissed criticism that the dialogue is an ANC public relations exercise.
“As much as critics of the dialogue saw the non-participation of the foundations as a spin-off, we viewed it as an important step towards engaging in a robust manner and shaping up a dialogue that will benefit all.
“Attempts to mischaracterise the dialogue as an ANC public relations exercise are rejected with contempt. The ANC is committed to organisational renewal, societal renewal, and advancing the resolutions of the 54th and 55th national conferences, which emphasise the renewal of the movement and participatory governance.
“We call on all South Africans, especially workers, the unemployed, women, youth, and the economically excluded, to participate actively in shaping a future South Africa they wish to inherit.”
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