Cape Town – ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has expressed surprise at former president Thabo Mbeki campaigning for the ANC despite his past criticism of the party’s leadership.
Last year, Mbeki voiced scepticism about supporting the ANC due to its failure to fulfill promises.
“Indeed, there are many things that are going wrong, which are not being attended to. I can’t go to ordinary people in our country and say vote for these people who are doing wrong things,” Mbeki was quoted as saying at the time.
Speaking to EWN during ActionSA’s election campaign, Mashaba criticised Mbeki for his role in the country’s decline, attributing responsibility to him and other former ANC leaders.
“Who was in charge? It was not Jacob Zuma, it was not Cyril Ramaphosa. Cyril Ramaphosa and Zuma came to finish what Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe did. So these are the people who are behind the collapse of our country,” the report quoted Mashaba as saying.
In response, Mbeki said that his decision to campaign for the ANC stemmed from its commitment to self-renewal and addressing internal challenges to better serve the population.
Over the weekend, the former president criticised the ANC’s election campaign, highlighting its failure to address citizens’ current challenges.
Speaking during his campaign in Tshwane, Mbeki emphasised the lack of ANC posters in the streets as a visible shortcoming.
South Africans are set to cast their votes on May 29 in what is anticipated to be the most fiercely contested elections since the dawn of democracy.
Mbeki stressed the need for the ANC to address pressing issues such as unemployment and hunger, urging the party to make commitments it is determined to fulfill.
Former ANC president, Thabo Mbeki, has highlighted some weaknesses in the party’s election campaign. Mbeki says the ANCs campaign is failing to address challenges currently faced by citizens. #eNCA #DStv403 #AllAngles #QuestionThinkAct pic.twitter.com/yp84piA24D
— eNCA (@eNCA) May 4, 2024
“From what I’ve seen, I’m glad there is a lot of activity, a lot of campaigning by the ANC, but there are some shortcomings. You can see, it’s very visible, I think there’s not enough ANC posters in the streets,” he said.
He added: He added: “I think that matter the ANC needs to correct. I think also we say these are the successes we’ve made over the last 30 years, that is correct. But the real challenge is that there is somebody who lives today who says ‘I’m unemployed, I’m hungry, I have no water.”
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
