By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
African National Congress (ANC) president Cyril Ramaphosa denied the claims that the National Working Committee (NWC) visited KZN to dissolve the provincial leadership.
Ramaphosa was speaking during the party’s National Working Committee’s visit to Chatsworth on Sunday.
The NWC visit comes amid increasing pressure on the party’s leadership, with eThekwini placed under Section 154 intervention to assist with service delivery.
The recent school nutrition programme debacle and a series of by-election losses to the IFP have put further pressure on the party in the province.
“There is no decision, there is no reason, there is no plan to disband the PEC. We’ve got a leadership that is leading this province, so those rumours are rumours that are flying around in the sky. We are going around the country to strengthen not to disband,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa also welcomed new party members, among them former DA Ward 73 councillor Ronnie Pillay.
Pillay quit as both a DA member and its councillor in eThekwini earlier this year, citing the party’s failure to deal with the corruption he had reported to the leadership.
Ramaphosa urged Chatsworth residents to ensure that Pillay wins Ward 73 in the coming elections.
Commenting on load shedding, the president said a lot was being done to address the issue.
“We have appointed an Electricity minister and I want to say to [Kgosientsho] Ramokgopa, even when he goes to the toilet, I want him to be thinking about electricity,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa echoed Ramokgopa’s sentiments about the winter season, saying the cold months was going to be an enormous challenge for many South Africans.
“We are addressing this challenge that all of us have and I am absolutely certain that having appointed an engineer, we will be able to solve the problem.
“Working together with minister Gwede Mantashe, Pravin Gordhan and all of us, we will be able to solve the problem of electricity, “the president continued.
Furthermore, Ramaphosa said the ANC remained the only hope for a prosperous South Africa.
“Some people think all hope is lost in the ANC and we say we have been around for 111 years and the majority of people still have hope, trust and believe in the ANC,” he said.
“We are a movement that is renewing itself and all organization around the world, go through patches when they have challenges.
“In our case, we have been upfront about our problems and a problem admitted, is a problem solved,” Ramaphosa said.