ANC should not go about asking Malema to return – Mantashe

ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe has weighed in on calls for EFF leader Julius Malema to return to the governing party, saying he believes ANC officials should not be urging former comrades to return to the organisation in public.

“If Julius wants to come to the ANC, he must come to the ANC. I don’t think we should go out there inviting him because when you invite him, typical of any politician, he will say, ‘no, I don’t want.’ And then comes when we meet quietly and says, ‘how can we facilitate my return?’” Mantashe said in an interview on Monday night on the Justice Factor.

He added: “I think we should not go about asking people to come back because when you do that you give them an opportunity to reject that offer, though they want it deep down in their heart. And my own view is that we should not do it all the time.”

Mantashe’s comments come after President Cyril Ramaphosa and his deputy, David Mabuza, at the weekend told reporters they would welcome Malema back into the ANC’s fold.

However, the firebrand leader on Monday reiterated his stance that he would not reconsider returning to the ANC. In a tweet, Malema said the party was dead and had two presidents.

During the IEC’s registration drive at the weekend, a picture of two banners from the ANC Umgayi Branch in KwaZulu-Natal with images of Ramaphosa and former ANC president Jacob Zuma went viral on social media. Both hangings stated that Zuma and his successor were current presidents of the ANC.

KZN ANC 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/1iXR3aEswj

— Tumi Sole (@tumisole) March 11, 2018

“I won’t do it, that thing is dead. Worse they now have two presidents, one for ANC of Natal [KwaZulu-Natal] called Zupta [Jacob Zuma] and Ramapostponer [Ramaphosa] for the rest and now I must go and join the confusion, never [sic],” Malema said.

I won’t do it, that thing is dead. Worse they now have two presidents, one for ANC of Natal called Zupta and Ramapostponer for the rest and now I must go and join the confusion, never.

— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) March 12, 2018

In response to Malema’s tweet, Ramaphosa told reporters outside the offices of his foundation in Sandton, Johannesburg, that he had expected Malema to respond as he did.

“This is all politics, and it’s a wonderful political response that he has given. The ANC has leadership that was elected at Nasrec … We are a strong organisation once again charging ahead to the 2019 elections to win them,” he said.

ALSO READ:

//