Nxesi warns ANC against factionalism, corruption ahead of 2019

National 17.11.2016 08:59 pm

Ngwako Modjadji

SACP deputy chairperson Thulas Nxesi responds to questions on the communist party's perceived unwavering support of Jacob Zuma during a media briefing in Soweto, 24 August 2014, following the organisation's central committee meeting. Picture: Refilwe Modise
Thulas Nxesi, speaking at the NUM Youth Structure's national conference, said leaders had forgotten about their roles and service delivery.

SA Communist Party (SACP) deputy chairperson Thulas Nxesi has blamed the ANC's poor showing in the local government elections earlier this year on factionalism and corruption within the party.

The ANC lost the Tshwane, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth metros.

Addressing the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) Youth Structure's national conference in Irene, outside Pretoria, on Thursday, Nxesi said: "We lost some of the areas because of factionalism. Some of our voters have decided to take a back seat because of factional battles based on greed."

"Whoever thought one day we would lose Port Elizabeth to DA?

"Our people didn't vote for us because of corruption.

"Indeed, in some of the areas we have seen this corruption."

There are also fears that the ANC risks losing power in the 2019 general elections. Nxesi said leaders had forgotten about their leadership roles and service delivery.

"It is no more about leading the union or the ANC," Nxesi, who is also the public works minister, said.

"It is about how do I get this powerful position in order to have access to the resources, then I start giving [these resources] to relatives and friends."

Nxesi said slates and tenderpreneurship had turned comrades against each other.

"Money is used to buy people in the lead-up to conferences so that they vote in a particular way," he said.

"Today our movement is suffering because of slates."

He lamented the abuse of state institutions to settle political scores started a long time ago.

"When Jacob Zuma was charged and removed as deputy president it was Cosatu, led by NUM, which said this was a political trial," Nxesi said.

"We are not going to allow state institutions to be used to settle political scores."

This flew in the face of dropped fraud charges against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Nxesi warned that unless the ANC's succession debate was officially opened, there would be a dent in the ruling party after its elective conference next year in December.

It seemed factions in the ANC, Cosatu and the SACP were focused on the ANC's succession debate.

Nxesi added that there were a lot of wrong things in the movement.

"Some of the people were labelled reactionaries just because we disagree with them," Nxesi said.