Mbeki deployed to party weak spots
● The ANC has drafted Thabo Mbeki into campaigning in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape — provinces where the party is seen as weakest ahead of the elections.
Mbeki made his first appearance in an ANC campaign walkabout at Jabulani Mall in Soweto on Thursday.
His decision to join the campaign came under pressure from party leaders after he had previously indicated he might not take part. His change of heart was regarded as a major boost as a recent poll showed that Mbeki is one of the most popular leaders.
The ANC head of elections Mdumiseni Ntuli told the Sunday Times this week that though Mbeki had previously held some engagements with members of society, he had not campaigned in the way he has now agreed to since 2008.
“We are facing the most difficult elections... We have made a conclusion as the election team of the ANC that unless we find a way to unleash the best among us, to go out not only to engage with secluded sectors or various sectors of society but the population in its entirety, it will be difficult for us to succeed in the election campaign in the way we have projected,” he said.
Asked whether it was difficult to convince Mbeki to join the campaign, Ntuli said: “No, no, no, it wasn’t. Remember he made the statement, was it last year or so, in which he said he remains a member of the ANC and therefore he has an obligation to discharge some of the responsibilities of those who are members of the ANC. So it wasn’t a difficult thing. I mean, we had to sit down of course, just to look at how we’re going to roll out his campaign trail.”
Mbeki remained one of the most respected leaders of the ANC and his involvement in the campaign would have an impact.
“I think he’s one of the highly respected stalwarts of our movement and the leader of our country. When he speaks, almost everybody in the country stops to listen, it doesn’t matter from which sector of society you come from.
“And that is because of his ideas in the past when he was a leader of our movement and the president of the country, and interventions that he has been making even long after he left office. So the reason he matters most is because of the impact that he has in society whenever he engages with the population,” Ntuli said.
The party has also asked Mbeki to speak in indigenous languages when he addresses people during the campaign. This was evident when he was on the campaign trail in Soweto.
“You will have a lot of that in the campaign because the approach is that he needs to appeal to the people in the language they understand. If you want to speak to somebody and let them properly internalise your message, the best way is to communicate to them through their own language,” said Ntuli.