Monday, April 8, 2013

Top ANC branch to ‘launch’ Motlanthe


Top ANC branch to ‘launch’ Motlanthe

November 12 2012 at 11:52am
By SOLLY MAPHUMULO
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IOL news nov 12 motlanthe
INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS
File photo: The ANC s Liliesleaf farm branch has nominated Deputy President Kgalema Montlanthe as its preferred candidate.
Johannesburg -
Emboldened by its successful nomination of Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe as a preferred candidate for the ANC presidency in Mangaung, the party’s Liliesleaf farm branch has moved to “launch him properly”.
Independent Newspapers understands that the branch immediately decided to invite Motlanthe to address its members on his plans for the party and the country should he take over at the ANC’s elective conference next month.
This came after the branch, based in Midrand, nominated Motlanthe over the weekend.
It also immediately launched a scathing attack against “scandal-prone” President Jacob Zuma, saying he had presided over a country and party crippled by one crisis after the other.
It is believed that Motlanthe will challenge Zuma for the party’s top job.
The elite branch boasts as members senior ANC, government and business leaders such as Gauteng ANC secretary David Makhura, former director-general in the Presidency Frank Chikane and former national director of public prosecutions bosses Vusi Pikoli and Menzi Simelane.
Independent Newspapers has seen a statement issued by the branch in which it lambasts Zuma.
It said that under his leadership, the ANC has been marred by scandals “leading to a mass and fast erosion of public confidence in the ANC and state by society it leads”. It added that the ruling party needed Motlanthe to restore confidence and ensure that they did not lose power in Gauteng to the DA in 2014.
“As a leader of society, [Motlanthe], as a matter of urgency, [must] restore that lost confidence. Lest we go through the same political cul-de-sac that all African liberation movements went through after their 20 years in power, or lose to the DA in 2014,” read the statement.
Branch chairman Luther Lebelo declined to comment on the nomination outcome, the apparent intention to invite Motlanthe to address the branch and the statement attacking Zuma. But a branch member, who did not want to be named, confirmed that the branch had decided to invite Motlanthe.
He said this would be an opportunity to “launch” Motlanthe, who has not declared whether he would be challenging Zuma.
“We intend inviting him towards the end of November. The sole purpose is to launch him properly. His silence is frustrating our campaign,” the branch member said.
He added that the branch also wanted to use the occasion to intensify the campaign for Motlanthe.
The elite branch gave Motlanthe the nod to lead the ANC with a landslide majority. Of the 173 delegates who took part in the nominations, Zuma only got 13 votes. Independent has learnt that Simelane was among the members who voted for Zuma.
“It’s his choice,” said a member who wanted to remain anonymous.
It is understood that Motlanthe is leading Zuma in Gauteng with a bigger margin. He apparently won 138 of the 232 branches that have nominated their preferred leaders so far.
Independent Newspapers has been reliably told that there has been a dramatic increase in nominations for Motlanthe in provinces such as Mpumalanga and the Free State.
A Zuma lobbyist denied this was a setback for the ANC leader. “The reality is we are neck and neck with the ABZ camp. There is no such thing as clean sweep in Gauteng. They must not make claims and say they have an upper hand. We are confident that we’ll deliver Zuma.”
But a Motlanthe lobbyist said: “Change is both necessary and unstoppable!”
Pretoria News


    • Avatar

      Zolisa Memani  18 minutes ago

      Thumbs up Motlante and hope he will redeem the confidence I have lost to the ANC under the current leadership. I hope Bertha Gxowa Branch delegates will vote for Motlante to redeem the image of the ANC. The ANC will have to know that people are disgruntled and have lost hope to this church, we have to test other options but who will we vote for, should the ZUma camp win the elections in Mangaung? A patriotic Front Movement needs to be revived, its not about the ANC but about the principles, we will have to turn to the party that aims for the benefit of poor citizens, blacks in particular......
      Why do we have so many political parties to contest for elections? We need to move too the Presidential Candidate elections just like in the States......Will they be able to undergo the through the eye of the needle test? By continuity, what does ANC mean? Does it mean continuity to corruption? Continuity to self aggrandizement or enrichment? Who will be voting for Zuma? Those that are currently benefiting will want the continuity to continue but those like me who are not getting anything will want change, these are the true reflection of politics of today..... stomach politics..... battering......scratch my back I will scratch your back.....promises are not kept by those who want to come to power.....As someone who has been involved in campaigns to vote for ANC in the past since 1994, in 2014, I will no longer get myself involve if the Zuma Camp wins.......I have not benefited anything.....why should I vote for Zuma again.....I have not seen any improvement in my life since.....
      What programmes has this leadership came up with regarding Africa, International Relations, the behavior of some leaders who are seen by media as corrupt and unaccountable, SADC one currency development, political education to the nation (Do we really need more than four political parties?), privatization versus nationalization debate where communists are now defending capitalism more than the Capitalists (Where are we in terms of NDR? Do we really need the Tripartite Alliance? Should ANC remain a political party or become a cultural movement?), Who is setting the national agenda? Is gender parity really practical within ANC, if so, why don't we have a woman contesting elections for Presidency for 2014 Elections? The status of Branches is depreciating and branches are still debating minutes and matters arising instead of looking at bread and butter issues for their constituencies, why are policies come from Parliament or Luthuli House and given to branches instead of coming from branches to provinces? Do we really address issues affecting us at branch level (issues of property hijack by illegal foreign immigrants, nature in which we live with brothers and sisters from the north as ANC never prepared the nation for these challenges). When looking the way things are progressing at Lenasia, Marikana, Nkandla, the judiciary and NPA on the spy tapes, Arms deal, one will note that these are contributory effects that will bring ANC down come 2014.
      More people are chased away from ANC today though in principle ANC was supposed to recruit and invite sympathizers to come and vote for ANC, will this be possible in 2014? Although the ANC Secretary is boosting of the membership increase, is it quality or just some quantity members that have joined ANC in KwaZulu Natal, Free State or Mpumalanga? I will take some etract from "The History of South Africa and ANC after 20 years" book, "...... the New Age article by Genevieve Quintal’s article “Membership bust for JZ” of 01 October 2012 an
      interview with Mr. William Gumede. The interview looks at the reasons as to the
      increase of membership in KZN, Gumede expresses concerns that the increase in
      membership in KZN by ‘IFP members who joined ANC because Zuma is there’ as part
      of his campaign to get Zulu speakers to support his presidency shows we are
      going back to tribal tendencies that have been rejected by ANC since its
      formation. KZN will be the most province with most delegates in this conference
      and the intention is of ensuring that JZ becomes president no matter what, this
      has been expressed again by Sihle Zikalala, the Secretary of KZN that JZ must
      come up with some legislation that should deal with people who are opposing the
      office of the presidency. Did he (Sihle) not learn from Thabo’s style of
      leadership? In the article, Gumede continues to say ‘the problem with this is
      that they may support Zuma and not the ANC.... if Zuma is not there they might
      leave the ANC and this has raised “red flags”. I also share the same sentiment
      with Gumede in that ‘we don’t want anybody to mobilise support based on one
      ethnic group. The country needs the kind of leadership that can mobilise
      support across all groups’. With this approach the ANC will suffer as he
      continues to say ‘if you only win one region, it means when you govern there is
      going to be opposition all the time from within ANC. The presidency will be
      locked in a paralysis’, said Gumede.
      To vote for Motlante means change, I am for change and hope that it will bring hope to ordinary South Africans like myself and hope that people will have to be made aware of this. Thumbs up Motlante, and I hope you come up and stand up let everyone know that if nominated you will contest the elections. Just like Obama, our hope rely on you to redeem back the morals, ethics, constitutional values (why do we have an English version (promulgated) of our Constitution while we have eleven official languages?), patriotic front revival, building the nation, participating in global politics with a mandate of changing people's life for better, building the ANC from branch level....The challenge is yes Motlante can come on board, but who will be assisting him in key decision making (NEC members). Will he not face the same challenge that was faced by Mbeki (2007) and Zuma (2012) come 2017 of people loosing confidance in him?

    posted by Zolisa Memani @ 5:35 AM   0 Comments

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