African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has urged delegates at the ANC Women’s League Conference to work for an outright victory for the party in 2024 to avoid having to enter into coalitions.
Mbalula was speaking on the second day of the conference taking place at the Nasrec Expo Centre, south of Johannesburg.
Over 3 000 delegates are in attendance and will nominate and vote for their national office bearers to lead them for the next five years. Mbalula is adamant that coalitions are undesirable.
“We will try very hard to make sure that we return to power without asking from anybody decisive victory and decisive majority in this country. We have lost power comrades in the municipalities in Johannesburg, in Pretoria, in Port Elizabeth, in Ekhuruleni, we must work to retain power in those areas. Coalitions are unstable because the majority of our people did not come out and vote, we negotiate in terms of the law with two percent political parties and they tell us what to do,” Mbalula explains.
Mbalula says members of the Women’s League must be at the forefront of fighting for women’s rights. He says while it is appropriate for the League to push for gender parity in government and business, it should also be preoccupied with championing the rights of black women.
“It must not just translate into positions it must also translate into development at the grass roots level, we want to see women in projects and businesses on the ground. When a woman in UNISA is appointed as Vice Chancellor Linkabula the Women’s League must be the first to stand up and defend her nihlaleleni naithula abafazi baginqwizwa when a woman in UCT Mamakgete is vandalised attacked by racists where are you?” Mbalula reiterates.
Video: SG Fikile Mbalula addresses ANCWL delegates:
