South Africa will ‘disintegrate’ if the ANC collapses, warns Zweli Mkhize

ANC presidential hopeful and former health minister, Zweli Mkhize, has warned that the country will disintegrate should the ANC die.

Addressing ANC-aligned students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in Durban on Tuesday evening, Mkhize said it was the party’s historic mission to unite all South Africans which has kept the country intact despite the challenges it faced.

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It was vital, Mkhize said, for the public to insist that ANC leaders should stick to the party’s historic mission as opposed to looking after their individual interests.

“The reality is that we have people who have basically abandoned the mission that brought them together as a movement.”

Once that happens, the force that binds us together begins to dissipate and disintegrate and therefore there’s no more reason why people should follow the African National Congress because you who are leading in it are no longer believing in the mission.

If people stop believing in the ANC, Mkhize said, the party would collapse, leaving the country without a unifier.

The former KZN premier delivered his speech at a time when the ANC was losing support due to, amongst other things, corruption and internal battles.

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Other ANC leaders vying for top positions

Apart from Mkhize, other prominent ANC leaders vying for party presidency at the organisation’s December national conference include Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu and the incumbent, President Cyril Ramaphosa.

While there are a number of candidates who have raised their hands, the ANC presidential contest is widely expected to be a two-horse race between Mkhize, who apart from the ANC KZN provincial executive committee (PEC) has also been endorsed by the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) and Ramaphosa, who in amongst other ANC structures has been endorsed by the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL).

The ANC electoral commission is currently consolidating nomination reports from party branches across the country, with the results scheduled to be made public in the coming days.

Apart from Mkhize, the slate endorsed by the KZN PEC include the names of ANC acting secretary general Paul Mashatile; former Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle, who is contesting for the secretary general position; and Limpopo Premier Stanley Mathabatha, who is vying for the national chairperson position.

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Speaking at the same event as Mkhize, ANC provincial spokesperson, Mafika Mndebele – who is also the ANCYL provincial coordinator, said the party’s KZN leadership has embarked on a programme to support Mkhize.

“It’s a programme to rescue our country from the problems we are currently experiencing,” he said.