Johannesburg - The outgoing Gauteng ANC chairperson and Premier David Makhura bemoaned that Joburg, the biggest city in Gauteng, is under a DA-led administration, blaming it on poor leadership and divisions within the party.
He made the admissions while addressing the ANC Joburg regional conference in Centurion yesterday.
At the conference, Makhura warned against a repeat of the Ekurhuleni conference.
“Here in Johannesburg, we face the reality that the ANC has lost power. We must be very worried. On the other hand, the coalition government running the City is not able to respond to any grievances or problems coming from communities. How do we win back public confidence and regain trust among the people of Johannesburg?
“This calls upon this conference to review the state of the organisation and pay enough attention to the renewal and rejuvenation of the movement in Johannesburg.
“We must not make the mistake of making this conference simply about the election of leadership. This thing of elevating leadership election to the alpha and omega, do or die of ANC conferences, is totally un-ANC. Let’s have new ideas and new policy proposals on social, economic, international and organisational matters,” he said.
“There must be no place for violent disruption of meetings in Johannesburg. The Johannesburg conference must be a 'festival of ideas' and not a festival of chairs.
“In 2021, the ANC suffered a strategic setback in the local government elections. The trend for our electoral decline has been consistent in every election over the past decade. The 2004 general elections and 2006 local government elections were our highest point.
“The main metropolitan municipalities in Gauteng are governed by coalitions that are deadly opposed to the ANC and the national democratic project of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR). We have to wake up and smell the coffee if we are to avoid total defeat in the 2024 elections.
“Although the ANC was able to win 68% of the wards in the province, low voter turnout in the core constituencies of the ANC, the right-wing forces have gained more confidence because our electoral support has fallen below the psychological barrier of 50%. We have characterised the electoral losses we suffered as a strategic setback.
“It is impossible to regain public confidence and win elections when the image of the party or the movement is in tatters: no proper organisation on the ground; heightened internal conflicts, which result in violence and killings; and, corruption and debilitating factionalism inspired by self-interest, rent-seeking, self-accumulation and survival of the fittest,” Makhura warned.
Makhura also dismissed insinuations that he was punted to be the next secretary general of the ANC under President Cyril Ramaphosa’s slate.
“I am not aware of it. No-one spoke to me about it,” he said.
“I have served in leadership positions in Gauteng for 22 years. I was elected provincial secretary for four terms and later elected as deputy chairperson and chairperson. I say thank you to you for showing trust in me. You owe me nothing,” Makhura said.