Disbandment of ANC’s executive committee out of question, says Mantashe

Disbanding the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) is out of the question.

ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe said as much during an impromptu media briefing on Tuesday night.

The ANC held the briefing after media reports that a document by ANC cadres was discussed by the party’s top brass which suggests a temporal disbandment of the NEC to solve the crisis in the party.

On Tuesday, News24 reported that the 31-page document titled “ANC turnaround strategy 2025” suggested that a national task team (NTT) replace the NEC to rebuild the organisation.

This after a group calling themselves ANC cadres held a summit to discuss the crisis facing the organisation.

Its leader, retired general Maomela “Mojo” Motau, told News24 the main players currently in talks with the cadres included Mantashe, secretary-general Ace Magashule and deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte.

“We did meet the group although it has no standing in the structures of the ANC,” Mantashe told journalists during the virtual briefing.

He said party leaders had committed to treating the discussion as confidential until a way forward was agreed on.

Mantashe said the party leaders had no problem with the broad analysis of the document relating to the balance of forces globally and domestically, which were superficial in their nature.

However, the analysis by the retired generals on the ANC was not informed by any scientific analysis, but by the opinions and views of individuals.

“We note a few issues that were a deviation in the paper itself. It makes no [reference] to conference of ANC, the resolution of ANC and decisions taken by ANC structures from time to time. It analyses the ANC on basis of media reports from time to time,” he said.

The document detailed some of the crises the governing party is facing, including a crisis of legitimacy, credibility, political coherence, morality and leadership.

It lambasted the party’s leaders for a lack of political consciousness and “agility of the political mind”.

“It is a leadership that is immobilised and rendered incapable of leading our revolutionary movement to achieve its strategic goal. We are in a state of paralysis. All is lost including the required agility and political acumen,” it read.

The document further stated that the root cause of the crisis was the lack of political commitment to the struggle, making the ANC its own worst enemy.

While Mantashe called the leaking of the document mischievous and an attempt to confuse communities, he said the ANC would continue to engage the group.

“We are not going to [be] distracted by engagement by their release of the document, which can only be intended to cause confusion in society”.

Responding to the call for an NTT, Mantashe said the NEC would not succumb to any attempt to change the regime and replace it.

“The biggest debate was about the analysis of the ANC and many of the questions have not been answered and settled. That is why we would meet them next time. We are engaging them like an

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