Vital to avoid more ANC splits – Nene
WITH more cracks in the ANC showing‚ the elective conference in December must ensure that the right leadership is elected to save the organisation from further splits.
This is according to former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene, who was axed in December 2015 by President Jacob Zuma and resigned as a member of parliament a few days later.
“If we make a mistake with the leadership we elect in December‚ we will not be in control of the country,” Nene said.
“It depends on how we get to December.
“If we continue with the route that we are on of factionalisim – and acrimonious in a way – we will end up with a divided ANC and I actually don’t want to contemplate the outcome of that.”
He was speaking yesterday on the sidelines of the first day of the 20th Southern African International Audit Conference in Sandton‚ hosted by the Institute of Internal Auditors South Africa.
Nene‚ who has since ventured into the private sector‚ said the ANC still had time to rectify its internal problems.
“But if we correct ourselves in the process – because there’s still room for self-correction – we are likely to come up with a leadership of unity.
“People always talk about a coalition government [and] I think as the ANC‚ we might come up with a coalition where we begin to say let’s throw away this factionalism and let’s work together.
“That would be the best outcome for the organisation‚” he said.
On August 8‚ the National Assembly held a vote on a motion of no confidence in Zuma.
A total of 177 MPs voted for Zuma to go‚ 198 voted for him to stay while nine abstained.
About 30 ANC MPs are thought to have voted for Zuma to be removed.
Nene defended those ANC MPs who voted against the motion‚ saying they did so to protect the party and not Zuma in particular.
“I don’t want to get personal with this‚ but this is a symptom of what we are dealing with,” he said.