By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
African National Congress (ANC) veteran Mavuso Msimang confirmed the withdrawal of his resignation from the party, saying he took the decision after discussions with party leadership.
Msimang resigned last week, and said in his devastating three-page resignation letter, that for several years now, the ANC has been wracked by endemic corruption, with devastating consequences on the governance of the country and the lives of poor people, of whom there continue to be so many.”
He questioned incidents of children drowning in pit latrines, raw sewage flowing into rivers, over a hundred people dying in the Life Esidimeni tragedy, people dying waiting for ambulances and businesses failing while “ANC leaders publicly proclaim ownership of obscenely wealthy homesteads and other possessions, and send their children to the best schools in the land”.
“Yes, it is correct, I have withdrawn the resignation,” he said.
His return follows a meeting with ANC secretary-general (SG) Fikile Mbalula. The meeting was facilitated by the veterans league.
“The ANC will continue to seek the wise counsel of the elders of the ANC in whose footsteps we walk. The SG regrets that he made comments that impugned the integrity of Cde Msimang, suggesting that he was vulnerable to taking a bribe from a newly established political formation,” the party said in a statement on Thursday.
It also acceded to a proposal by the veterans league highlighted by Msimang in his resignation letter that those implicated by the state capture commission should not be considered for deployment to parliament and provincial legislatures after next year’s general elections.
“We are determined that only members whose reputations are beyond reproach will be included in our list of candidates for parliament and provincial legislatures.
“This means those implicated by the commission will not be included in our lists if their names have not been cleared by the ANC integrity commission. In this regard, we are pleased that Msimang has agreed to withdraw his resignation and will continue to speak up against malfeasance affecting the interests of society,” read the statement.
Msimang said he has relinquished his position as ANC veterans league deputy president and will be an ordinary member of the party.
The governing party has also been severely criticised by one of its most recognisable leaders in the form of former president Thabo Mbeki, who has been vocal about the Cyril Ramaphosa-led national executive committee failing to live up to its resolutions about party renewal.