ANC chief whip cracks down on MPs who aren't campaigning adequately

The African National Congress (ANC)’s parliamentary whip, Mdumiseni Ntuli, is cracking down on members of Parliament (MPs) who don’t spend enough time on the ground campaigning, especially in the Western Cape.

Ntuli said the parliamentary programme will be reworked to allow them to spend less time in Parliament and more time in communities because it is an election year.

The party’s parliamentary caucus is holding a mini-lekgotla on Wednesday to discuss the implementation of the party programme determined at last year’s National General Council (NGC) and the Cabinet Lekgotla last month.

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Ntuli said the parliamentary programme is often gruelling, but this year more time has to be found for electioneering.

“The business of being in Parliament five days a week, three months consecutively might not work this year. We need to find time where we come in, the programme is extensive, very intensive, but we go away as well for two months or so and then come back.”

Ntuli said even when MPs are on parliamentary duty in Cape Town, any free time they have should be spent drumming up support for the party.

“The sitting is starting at 2pm. So, there’s no reason why you can’t go door-to-door from 10am-12pm, come back and take a shower, if you want to take a shower, and then come to Parliament.”

Ntuli is also not giving members of the executive a free pass.

“Of course, those who are also in government will have to juggle between being in government and also to do the political work.”

The ANC will head into this year’s local government elections with its support in the Western Cape at an all-time low.