ROAD TO 2024 ELECTIONS
Thabo Mbeki on Soweto charm offensive as ANC ‘unleashes’ senior leaders
Despite having expressed discontent several times about the state of the ANC, former party president Thabo Mbeki championed the governing party on the campaign trail in Soweto on Thursday.
Former president Thabo Mbeki, flanked by the ANC’s Johannesburg leadership and provincial bigwigs, was on Thursday welcomed by hundreds of Soweto residents, young and old, at Jabulani Mall.
Former president Thabo Mbeki (centre) with ANC leaders during an ANC campaign at Jabulani Mall in Soweto on 25 April 2024.(Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)
Many residents chanted his name. Others just wanted a handshake from the former president, who was surrounded by his security detail at all times.
Mbeki acknowledged the ANC’s faults and spoke of members who had tarnished its reputation. However, he urged the crowd to vote for the party in the general election on 29 May.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Elections 2024
“There are those who are corrupt who are part of the party. We need to get rid of them. I will urge you Sowatans, when you go to the polls, do what you are supposed to.
Former president Thabo Mbeki shakes hands with ANC supporters at Jabulani Mall in Soweto. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)
ANC supporters sing during former president Thabo Mbeki’s ANC campaign at Jabulani Mall in Soweto. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)
“I am grateful for the reception I have received. I was happy to see the faces of the people. They are confident that the problems you are facing are going to be solved. So, when I tell you to vote ANC, it is because we have solutions,” Mbeki said.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Can Thabo Mbeki make the ANC great again? It’s complicated
Mbeki has in recent years openly criticised the ANC and its president, Cyril Ramaphosa.
Last year he wrote a 17-page letter to ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile in which he took issue with the party’s decision to block parliamentary inquiries into former Eskom boss André de Ruyter’s claims that cartels and corruption were hobbling the utility.
He also compared the Phala Phala scandal involving Ramaphosa with the Nkandla saga which took down former president Jacob Zuma.
Thabo Mbeki addresses ANC supporters at Jabulani Mall in Soweto on 25 April 2024. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)
In his 2023 letter, Mbeki quoted from Ramaphosa’s August 2020 anti-corruption letter: “The ANC may not stand alone in the dock, but it does stand as accused number one.”
Referring to Phala Phala, Mbeki said: “None of the questions has been answered”.
Mbeki has also criticised the quality of members the ANC was attracting and suggested that the party’s membership be reviewed.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Meeting with ANC top brass and Mbeki over Phala Phala rebuke was ‘comradely and collegial’
The ANC’s head of elections, Mdumiseni Ntuli, emphasised the importance of Mbeki campaigning for the party.
“It is a very important intervention because he is not only a senior in the party, he is a highly respected leader of the people across all sectors of society. So, to have him going out and engaging with the population is going to help the ANC,” Ntuli said.
‘Unleashing’ senior leaders
He said the organisation was accelerating its campaign, with the likes of former National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete, former president Kgalema Motlanthe and former deputy president David Mabuza campaigning for the party.
“The core that leads our campaign are the volunteers of the ANC in every corner of the country, but in order to maximise the great deal of work they are doing and unleash the most senior leaders, we are working on their own itinerary.
“It is a tough election, but the remaining 30 days or so are sufficient for the ANC to garner support in order to win on the 29th May,” he said.
The ANC is determined not to slip beneath the 57.5% it obtained in 2019, and with just over a month until the elections, a key aspect of the party’s campaign is deploying senior leaders to mobilise its base.
Read more in Daily Maverick: ANC confident it will secure 57% of electoral votes despite looming MK party threat
Constance Pogiso attended former president Thabo Mbeki’s visit to Jabulani Mall. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)
Constance Pogiso, a resident of the Snake Park informal settlement in Soweto was there to meet Mbeki. “The service delivery is not that good. We hope that the ANC will give us better service delivery this time around. I am inspired by Thabo Mbeki, he is my role model,” he said.
Pulane Motumi said she would vote for the ANC. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)
Pulane Motumi lamented the ANC’s failures.
“In my ward, we have issues with electricity. Our power is switched off without consultation. The ANC is an organisation we have been there for; it’s just that the people in power are the ones who are destroying the party with their corruption and money laundering. But what can we do? It is our party.”
Thabang Rathota fully supports the governing party: “The former president being here, it shows the veterans still believe in the ANC. I think it’s 50/50 because in some areas the ANC is succeeding; the R350 grant helps us. There are challenges like the rising price of food.”
Nhlanhla ‘Lux’ Dlamini backs the ANC
Former Operation Dudula leader Nhlanhla Lux Dlamini was at Jabulani Mall. He said he had thrown his weight behind the ANC. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)
Former Operation Dudula leader and the president of the Soweto Parliament, Nhlanhla “Lux” Dlamini, moved through the mall with the ANC leadership on Thursday.
He has thrown his weight behind the ANC, claiming that it is the preferred party for Soweto residents.
“It is a vote of confidence for the ANC. I am a leader that is given the mandate by the people and majority of the people in Soweto. Whether Twitter loves it or not, the people of Soweto love the ANC. I cannot go west and then the people go east; I must lead them to where they want to be. Where I am standing, it looks like victory for the ANC.
“I am very happy, given the state of Soweto compared to … other communities. Soweto functions better than many other places in SA. I am not saying that we should go home and rest — we should continue to hold people accountable. That is what we as the Soweto Parliament do,” he said.
Statistics published by the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) show that the largest number of registered voters in Gauteng hail from the City of Johannesburg, which includes Soweto.
They make up 35.91% of registered voters in the province, which makes areas like Soweto, which has traditionally been a stronghold for the ANC, crucial in the election.
Independent elections analyst Wayne Sussman said, “Soweto is the largest township in South Africa. It’s also got major historical importance and it is where President Ramaphosa votes — and many leaders in society will be voting there also.
“Let’s not forget, in 2021 you saw the ANC lose significant ground in parts of Soweto — in some places to the EFF, in some places to ActionSA.” DM
It’s been said that the ANC’s electioneering strategy can best be compared to how great runners run marathons – upping the pace in the final stretch. I could not agree more with this. Say what you will about the ANC but winning an election is what they do- strategically and tactically they are just about hitting their stride at the correct time.
You can keep Soweto – ANC have dragged it into nothing – but keep your grubby paws off the WC the only properly run province in RSA
Firstly, my comment is an observation of the ANC election machinery kicking into gear ( an obvious observation) but you myopically infer I support the ANC: based on what, only you can answer that. Secondly, you have encapsulated the mentality Zongezo Zibi has been pointing out about the DA’s messaging- we live in a democratic country there is no province that ‘ belongs’ to a party. The hubris and the condescension you have displayed is exactly why the DA in the W.C is in for a rude awakening.
You are so right Tumelo and really well said.
I don’t know I’d the DA will lose the WC this time round but they are a party in decline. Certainly not a future one.
Perhaps we will be surprised by smaller ones that seem more nationally conscious. But i m not holding my breath.
You are right PD, the DA will not lose this time round. Nor the next nor the one after that I aver. Don’t know if we can say the same about the ANC.
Kindly advise in what sense you see that the DA are in decline? The Western Cape as a province, the only one run be the DA, compared to the others run by the ANC and look at their record, which is highlighted in the next paragraph.
Given the state of South Africa, where corruption, financial collapse of Municipalities and utilities of service delivery not delivering, infrastructure collapsing, HOW does anyone vote for the ANC? It just does not make sense!
The ANC might have good policies, BUT they are unable to effect them by and large incompetent people who have never been properly educated and trained to do what they do. This is all in the public domain, so not my guess work.
The ANC should be the party that should be in absolute decline to a non entity. Read the Money Web article where they do a comparison between the City of Cape Town opposed to the City of Johannesburg for a burst pipe repair. That says it all.
This election is about voting with the brain and not the heart.
Hear here! In CT one often hears how the politics are unfortunately still ‘tribal’ in Mzansi. It recently occurred to me that there is a good deal of quasi tribalism coming from a quarter that would scoff at the idea they are part of a tribe.
100% agree. For the first time in over 35 years I will not be voting for the DA (or its predecessors) at a national level, because I simply can’t stomach their ‘leadership’ anymore. I’ve voted for them holding my nose for a while, but not again, not with Steenhuisen and Zille in charge who seem only concerned with their ‘base’. I will probably vote for Solly Msimanga as Gauteng premier though.
I agree with you. The ANC and similar party members will never fight each other in public but stand together for a cause. That is the idea I have being from the opposition party. Where as we fight one another in public and on these pages, kicking ourselves in the foot and damaging ourselves. This is a lesson we as the opposition have to learn. But we are still settler descendents who trek when we do not agree. We must learn to unite more
This is so confusing and unsettling. Still, I try and understand it from a human level-not politician. I wonder if president Mbeki and other elders have such a deep heritage and investment in the ANC that they wouldn’t know where to go. Abandoning the ANC may perhaps seem unthinkable. So they try to fix it from within with the hope to salvage their own legacies and the legacy of so many great revolutionaries fought and died in the ANC for SA.
I know some think Mbeki was one of the worst, but I disagree. Then again some of those people also think apartheid wasn’t the worst thing that happened to SA. So they’re you go. I admit Mr Mbeki made some terrible awful judgement calls. But he made some good ones too. Even president Mandela’s judgement is questioned today, especially by the young.
Mr Mbeki, I understand the ANC is all you know. You literately grew up in it. Your family is one of the very influential and instrumental in demonstrating black potential as well the will to fight for a better SA. A lot of us who comment here have not done or sacrificed anything near to what your family has. We all know that as you get older, you’re likely to stick to what you know. So, I feel bad for you all.
Still… from the perspective of the citizens who feel abandoned and betrayed by the ANC, it doesn’t make sense. Though I feel for you, I just can’t accept this overt support for the ANC of today that even YOU Sir know no longer represent the ideals you and your great late father fought for.
ST, I get you. The comment by J Smythe below is relevant. He says the ANC won’t change. The question is CAN it change? Won’t and can’t are not the same. What your Mbekis and all the other ANC stalwarts cannot easily do is give up their legacy within the ANC; it is the ANC or nothing, and they believe it CAN, blindly too, if yo will. IF (or better WHEN) we all accept that the electorate’s blind loyalty to the ANC will continue giving the ANC enough majority to rule, what is needed then is that the ANC change. That is what your Mbekis are working on, because then there will be no alternative to it.
When COPE was created, it gutted the ANC’s intellectual capacity, and what remained can only be described in derogatory terms. That residue gained ascendency within the ANC, and that is why your Mbekis remain within the ANC. Yes, while they remain within the ANC, they continue giving the ANC legitimacy, but that is a sacrifice they accept, in the hope that ultimately, sanity within will return and prevail. In their view, were the ANC legitimacy to evaporate, then your EFF, PA, RET factions etc. would ascend; the DA in its current gloating electoral messages will not fill that gap; that message is not getting through, given voter ANC loyalty blindness. The DA, or any other party for that matter, needs to show the voters the monster.
I feel there are certainly alternatives to the ANC, a party that has failed the country and betrayed all of those disadvantaged people who believed that better days were ahead. No, a leopard cannot change its’ spots, so people don’t hold out much hope that the ANC will transform into an inclusive, forward-thinking, ethical organization.
Sadly more of the same I fear should they by some miracle attain the 50%+ mark come the 29th of May.
Nearly all of Mbeki’s life has been as a member of the ANC. Kasrils is another. Kasrils won’t leave the ANC and won’t vote for anybody else, but he won’t vote for THIS ANC that is governing so badly and which has been infiltrated by people who have little history with the party. Those guys aren’t going to go anywhere else, and they certainly don’t see any of the opposition as a better option.
The most that could have happened with Mbeki is that he would have stayed out of the limelight, but the ANC would still have been sounding him out.
Great post. Some truths in there.
Thoughtful and well said ST.
This is a fantastic comment. Thank you!
“the people in power are the ones who are destroying the party with their corruption and money laundering. But what can we do? It is our party.”
That’s what the opposition has to contend with. Blind acceptance of being promised the world by crooks, but still living in squalor 30 years later. And the ANC knows it and won’t change. Why should they?
Spot on, although history tells us that eventually change does come – it’s simply a lottery as to whether it is peaceful, through the ballot box, or violent, through a coup. Countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Senegal, Lesotho and others in Africa have all seen peaceful transfers of power between parties in the last couple of decades as voters urbanise, are less tied to traditional power structures, have better access to education and choice and leave the liberation movements where they belong – in the archives. Other countries, notably in Southern Africa, which was fairly late to the post-colonial era, still have the liberation parties in power (SA, Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe*, Angola) or despots (Eswatini), but the tide is turning.
Dear Thabo. The ANC’s problems started when you became president. Your AIDS denialism was despicable and support for Robert Mugabe set the scene for the destruction of that beautiful country. The mismanagement of our country, and the blatant graft and corruption in every sphere of government is an indictment to the total failure by them for all the people in our country. First priority seems to be hanging on to power at all costs instead of serving the people and building prosperity for all. It will take two generations to undo all the harm the ANC has visited upon our beautiful country, that even now has huge potential. History will record the total failure of your party. Perhaps you should just go quietly into the sunset?
Any party, anywhere, that has power will seek to retain that power. Any party that doesn’t have power will seek to gain it. Things often aren’t this binary in life, but party politics in an election year is.
Sunak in the UK is under fire from many quarters, including some inside his own party. Polling consistently shows low approval for the Tories and for Sunak in particular. Truss’s short lived, disastrous term as PM did huge damage. Do you think the Tories are just going to say “oh well, nobody likes us, we’ll just hand over?” Of course they won’t. They will do their utmost to hang on to power because they think that the Tory way is the good way and all other parties are not so good.
And the same with the ANC. They are going to fight tooth and nail to hold onto power, just as the DA will in the Western Cape. That’s the way elections go.
It’s not up to the ANC to have a change of heart. It’s up to the opposition parties to persuade as to vote differently.
Precisely – every party has their ‘base’ that they fight tooth and nail to keep and appease, and only then look to the ‘floating voter’ to get them into power or to retain power. The ANC and DA are no differnet (or EFF and the rest of the alphabet soup). The Tories have been beyond abject in the UK since Cameron washed his hands of the Brexit debacle and walked away onto the 100K pound talk circuit. The problem for the UK is that Labour has been appalling at seizing the day, first with a 70s-style socialist who resonated with virtually nobody, and now with the epitome of, ironically, an upperclass, knighted, inner-circle lawyer, who looks more comfortable with Tories than Labour voters! Look at Trump and his ‘base’ – exactly the same.
I remember an uncle of mine in the UK, a died in the wool communist and lifelong Labour voter, who would not consider anything other than a Labour vote, even when the Callaghan government had to ask the IMF for the largest bailout in its history, because Labour had jumped the economic shark. He was adamant it was a rightwing Tory plot, had nothing to do with Labour policies, which were ‘for the people, the workers’ he would earnestly tell me. There was no reasoning with him, jsut as their isn’t with base Tory, ANC, Republican, DA or other supporters.
Dyed in the wool. Not died, by the way, Dan.
Oops! Yes, dyed. A stain on my reputation!
Have to have it dyed then PBM?
And FFS DM, why do I get this ridiculous comment by you many times:
“Duplicate comment detected; it looks as though you’ve already said that!”
I bloody well haven’t!
Must I cancel my just restarted monthly donation yet again?!
Denialism was Mbeki’s most damaging legacy: his absolute arrogance that nothing he did could be questioned, including appointing corrupt scum into his cabinet and administration, is what led to State Capture and destruction of SA – because by then, all you had to do was deny, deny, deny until a bigger scandal came along and the original one was forgotten. No doubt that AIDS and Zimbabwe denialism have been the most visible, but his trenchant, absolute denialism of personal and party wrongdoing is why we’re here. Of course, Mbeki and his apologists would doubtless deny this!
Thabo Mbeki caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of South Africans due to his policies on HIV and AIDS. He denied access to life-saving drugs, proven throughout the world.
He suspended the head of the NPA so he could interfere in the prosecution of the corrupt Jackie Selebi.
Further attempts to manipulate the legal system in South Africa lead to the quagmire of legal disputes around Jacob Zuma.
The ANC should be ashamed of Thabo Mbeki.
I’ll repeat: Thabo Mbeki was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of South Africans. Tens of thousands of babies were needlessly born with HIV because of this man.
Shame on you Thabo Mbeki.
Such a powerful statement around the HIV denial, talk about feet in the mouth. Cannot be disputed. For others, Marikana is another shameless show of the finger and the lack of empathy for real people sacrificing their lives for the entrenchment/enrichment of politicians (a despicable career choice). Where is the moral code of falling on ones sword….
This is what it looks like when banana hits republic
Or gangster state?
Or gangster state?
This is what it looks like when banana hits republic
“Sowatans”?! Ja, Thabs, talk about the DM making a Freudian Slip! ‘So what’ do the Sowetans actually think of an idiot like you!
Just note the age of the supporters in the pictures. It seems to confirm the time bomb problem that has been reported about the ANC.
I wonder what he was promised on deployment? Another ambassadorship in the AU? So was he singing for his supper? The regime is so arrogant that they believe they are paying for his security detail and not ultimately the tax payer.
Here’s the thing. The ANC have a big black mark for underperformance, Cyril is impressive as a statesman but can’t get anything done at home (or can he? The power situation is improved and Prasa routes are reopening), the party is broke, senior members are clearly defying the President or just doing their own thing with no mandate. They should be easy pickings. Yet nobody can displace them, except the DA in the WC and I think they have some surprises coming.
How useless are our opposition? The DA is quite good at governing actually, but as an opposition all they can do is get angry, stamp their feet, and have Steenhuisen and McPherson wedge foot firmly in mouth (when Zille is not crusading against wokeness and using awful autocrats as example for whatever point she thinks is worth making).
I could never consider Ramaphosa as a statesman.
No, this ANC President is no statesman. A shape-shifter perhaps, or a below-average magician, whose tricks are easy to see through.
“Cyril is impressive as a statesman” Really? What makes you say that? I find him impressive as a snake oil salesman and a sleep inducing backround noise but as a statesman?
O please stop you anti Zille anti DA chanting and go back to Europe where you belong. We have to live in SA and need people to stand together
Party before country, as always. Poor country ….
Not much integrity from the old guy.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” That witticism is usually attributed to Albert Einstein. Many parts of South Africa display insanity if that definition is applied.
‘Unleashing’ Thabo Mbeki? The man responsible for the massive deaths of the HIV/AIDS crisis, and the tsunami of Zimbabwean refugees escaping Mugabe, who Mbeki couldn’t find fault with? The man who embedded denialism into the ANC government as a means of avoiding accountability for lack of service delivery and corruption? A useless little man, certainly not a great leader or visionary.
Is another 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘦 really what we need? Given our governments’ propensity for all things Russian, why can’t we have our Black Gorbachev? When is African Glasnost? Will the ANC 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 embrace uPerestroika?
Following 30 years of ANC corruption, wastage, poor policy decisions, cadre deployment and gross mismanagement, what was supposed to be freedom has not translated to economici freedom for the majority of South Africans.
For the vast majority of South Africans there is nothing to celebrate, as the ANC has created a disenabling environment and the grounds for perpetual servitude and poverty.
Well… Mbeki had a part to play in the arms deal scandal – many questions about his involvement have not been full resolved… – of cause he was not the only senior cabinet minister involved – the rot started right from the start.
I hope the shameless muppet remembered to promise everyone free private healthcare after the elections like that nice Mr Lesufi did.
If you think Thabo looks and feels like a chameleon, you’d be correct. And remember, Thabo also spells Botha …
So sad… the same people saying nywe nywe ANC are the ones who will be protesting, this is sickening.