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‘We don’t love GNU; it is a tactical option’ – Mbalula at ANC fundraising gala (VIDEO)
Fikile Mbalula stressed the ANC remains unchanged in its mission despite joining the GNU, during his speech at the Chris Hani House gala in Komani.
ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula. Picture: Facebook/MyANC
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has emphasised that the ANC does not cease to be what it is because it is in the government of national unity (GNU).
Mbalula was speaking as the keynote speaker at a networking and fundraising gala dinner in Komani, Chris Hani region, Eastern Cape.
The event brought together prominent members, business leaders, and supporters hoping to generate funds for the ANC’s political activities.
Chris Hani House’s grand opening
The fundraiser came after the grand opening of the Chris Hani House on Thursday afternoon, a new facility dedicated to preserving the legacy of the revered anti-apartheid leader.
According to the party, the resources to acquire the property came from members of the ANC from all sub-regions of the Chris Hani region.
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“This initiative is the first of its kind in the region since 1994, as the ANC has been renting office space over the years,” the party said.
Speaking at the gala dinner, Mbalula said it was fitting that the building was named after Hani, as he “earned his stripes in the trenches of our liberation struggle.”
“A fearless servant of our people and a commander of uMkhonto weSizwe marshalling our combatants in the arms struggle. Comrade Chris Hani was a gallant soldier who led from the front, leading [the] charge against apartheid,” he said.
‘GNU was a tactical intervention’ – Mbalula
The secretary-general also discussed the setbacks the party experienced in the election outcomes, saying that the GNU was a tactical intervention to regroup and recapture power.
“A GNU is not a melting pot. An opposition does not cease to be an opposition because it’s in the GNU. ANC does not cease to be what it is because it’s in the GNU,” he said.
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Mbalula added that the new government does not stop the party from making advances such as the signing of the Bela Bill and the NHI.
“We will not back down; the president will sign one bill after another,” he said.
“We don’t love GNU. We don’t romanticise it. It is a tactical option.”
Mbalula hits back at ‘sell-out’ accusations
The secretary-general also hit back at critics who called the ANC sell-outs for forming the GNU with opposition parties with different ideologies.
“But we can’t lock ourselves in a corner simply because of ideological inadequacy and on the simple understanding that we are forming a black front of black excellence,” Mbalula said.
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Continuing in isiXhosa, the secretary-general emphasised that the party did not form the GNU by begging parties to join, and they invited everyone to join.
Mbalula also spoke about the challenges faced by the ANC since President Cyril Ramaphosa took the helm as leader, including corruption, the need for renewal, the Covid-19 pandemic, and load shedding.
Bringing his address back to the Chris Hani region, the secretary-general emphasided that the ANC won a majority there in the election.
‘Power is not a given’
As such, Mbalula made a joke about how the region does not need to deal with the drama that comes with the GNU in local governance as the ANC rules there.
He, however, warned the members to not play with power.
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“We don’t play with power. Power is not a given,” the secretary-general said.
He further emphasised that members in the region must not engage in corrupt acts.
He called on them to deliver when given is work by the government, as the ANC will not defend corruption, even if it is committed by friends.
“None of us here must defend wrongdoing and rally around it as things that bring us together,” Mbalula said.
He added that the recently deceased former minister Pravin Gordhan was hated because he stood against what is wrong.
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“They didn’t want him because he stood for something right against wrong.”
Watch Mbalula deliver his keynote address:
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