'You have collapsed the alliance': ANC Tshwane leadership slammed for lack of engagement

The African National Congress (ANC)'s alliance partners in Tshwane have expressed strong dissatisfaction with the party's regional leadership, asserting that the crucial relationship has effectively collapsed due to a severe lack of engagement.

The criticism comes as the ANC’s Greater Tshwane Region holds its 12th Elective Conference at the Velmore Hotel in Pretoria to elect new leaders.

Reflecting on the performance of the outgoing ANC regional leadership, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) offered some praise, specifically for the implementation of the long-awaited salary hikes for Tshwane municipal employees.

However, Thomas Hlongwane, Chairperson of COSATU’s Tshwane Cluster, did not mince words when describing the overall relationship between the party and workers, claiming it has deteriorated significantly.

"Chairperson (Bonzo Modise, outgoing ANC Tshwane Chairperson) you have collapsed the alliance. The relationship has collapsed, comrade. It can’t be correct, comrade George (Matjila, outgoing ANC regional secretary). We must rebuild this relationship. Our relationship cannot be based on elections; we cannot have a friendly relationship only when we must campaign on elections. It’s incorrect. A relationship should be balanced; engage us at all correct times."

These sentiments were strongly echoed by the South African Communist Party (SACP). Nape Mphiri, the SACP’s Tshwane District Secretary, pointed out that the ANC failed to respond to meeting requests after it took over the government in Tshwane from the Democratic Alliance (DA).

“We wanted after the reconfiguration, comrade chair, after the displacement of the DA last year, to engage the alliance partners, REC (ANC Regional Executive Committee) led by you and George to discuss this particular matter to say why you comrades can’t, with the MEC of COGTA, review the city’s macro structure, but the leadership was unavailable.”

In response to the sharp criticism from its long-standing partners, the ANC in Tshwane has committed to improved engagements going forward.