If the DA is unreasonable, go without them — Mashatile to Lesufi

ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile has come to Gauteng ANC chairperson Panyaza Lesufi's defence, saying the province had the national leadership's support in how it constituted its government after the watershed May elections. 

Mashatile, however, sidestepped questions about succession in the ANC, calling the debate about who would succeed President Cyril Ramaphosa premature. 

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and Lesufi have been at loggerheads over the government of national unity (GNU). The tensions between the two led to Mbalula summoning Lesufi to a meeting with the ANC's top brass last Monday. 

In a scathing letter to Lesufi, Mbalula said Lesufi had been making anti-GNU remarks that stand opposed to the decision by the national executive committee (NEC).

Mbalula threatened Lesufi with charges of bringing the ANC into disrepute over his anti-GNU stance, claiming he contradicted decisions taken by the NEC to establish the GNU. He told Lesufi he had “observed with concern” his public remarks about the GNU which “clearly go against” NEC resolutions.

The NEC did not take the GNU decision lightly as it went as far as debating the outcome of the May 29 elections and what it meant for the ANC and discussed options the party should consider before deciding on establishing the GNU, Mbalula said. He later backtracked.

On Sunday, during an interview with eNCA, he again threatened Lesufi with discipline. 

“If he [Lesufi] thinks he will run a campaign against the secretary-general of the ANC, he must mind his steps because we will act. We will never tolerate rogueness in the ANC. If he has decided to run a campaign against me, defacing the secretary-general of the ANC and doing so perpetually, though we are engaging politically and have settled matters, we will have to see how to get about that.

“We will never allow anarchy because we are running an organisation and our management of the organisation is informed by the principles of democratic centralism, which dictates that when a decision is taken by the upper structures the lower structures follow in line,” Mbalula said. 

Lesufi has also been at odds with DA federal council chair Helen Zille who has labelled him “rogue and the stumbling block to an ANC/DA coalition in the province. 

Mashatile denied tensions exist between the two parties. 

“The issues about tensions don't exist. Helen and Panyaza, I'm sure they will resolve those issues. As far as they are concerned, we said to the government of Gauteng, led by the ANC, 'if the DA doesn't want to work with Gauteng, leave them behind. It's not your problem and they must not make it our problem nationally.'

“We are working well with them nationally. It's up to the DA to make sure they work well with our structures in the provinces. We want our structures to work with them, but our structures came to us. Gauteng came to us and said, 'the DA is making impossible demands and therefore we can't proceed'. And we said to them, 'well, leave them behind if they are not reasonable — go without them'.

“All parties must be reasonable in what they want, in what we do, because the GNU can't survive if people come with unreasonable demands. We are dealing with issues in a mature way. We will finish the five years,” Mashatile said.

He added the DA was within its rights to have its ministers reporting to its leaders, saying the ANC was also reporting to its leaders.

“Our approach is we must run government, that is why the president when he speaks about the success of the government, not the ANC. The government is not just ANC, now there are 10 parties,” he said, adding if the GNU failed this would mean all parties have failed. 

The DA previously said it would not work with the ANC led by Mashatile.

Shortly before the elections, the DA laid criminal charges against Mashatile after allegations reported on News24 of corruption against him which span almost two decades.

Mashatile said they are working well with the DA in government, adding there were no quarrels between the two parties. 

“DA in government has not raised any issues about me. Whether they will raise it at some point I don't know, but it's not an issue now. We are focusing on governance. We are all looking at making South Africa work so our people can benefit. We are happy we are putting load-shedding behind us. We are now pushing to have transmission, generation is working, transmission is working, infrastructure is working, so we are focused.”

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