Election of ‘unity slate’ saved us – Mabuza
Had party members elected leaders from only one faction at the December 2017 Nasrec conference, the ruling party would be “limping” today, ANC deputy president David Mabuza said on Wednesday.
He suggested that the election of a “unity slate” had saved the ANC.
He was fielding questions from reporters in KwaZulu-Natal’s Moses Mabhida region, a Jacob Zuma stronghold, where he was mobilising support for Saturday’s ANC birthday bash.
Despite being largely seen as a sellout by former president Zuma’s backers after Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma lost to Cyril Ramaphosa, Mabuza said he only preached unity and felt welcome in the province.
“What prevailed [at the Nasrec conference] is unity.
“That means branch delegates heard my voice, heard my story that said it looked like this person is making sense.
“Because if we did not go the way we went, probably we would be talking about the ANC that is limping today.”
He said the Nasrec outcomes were the will of the branches, the nature of democracy and that it was impossible for him to control the results of a conference of more than 5,000 people.
Mabuza was on a door-todoor trail in Howick outside Pietermaritzburg, drumming up support for the ANC manifesto launch to be held on Sunday. –