ANC in KZN courts 'brains trust' as part of renewal campaign

Liberation movements in Africa are losing their power and the foundation of democracy is under threat, necessitating a fightback campaign to protect it.

That's according to KZN ANC provincial task team (PTT) co-ordinator Mike Mabuyakhulu, who was speaking at an ANC meeting with the “brains trust” at Coastlands Musgrave Hotel in Durban on Tuesday as part of a national renewal, ethical leadership and transformation programme with strategic partners. 

Organisations represented included:

• the National Association of Democratic Lawyers (Nadel);
• Black Lawyers Association (BLA);
• Black Information Technology Forum (BITF);
• National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE);
• Mine Medical Professionals Association (MMPA); and
• Association of Muslim Accountants and Lawyers (AMAL). 

The ANC said these bodies form a critical layer of South Africa's brains trust, essential to advancing the national democratic revolution.

Mabuyakhulu said what is happening in the ANC as a liberation movement is also happening in many other African countries.

“These liberation movements fail not necessarily because they are inept but also because there is a concerted campaign to undermine them. In the context of the new scramble for Africa and an open attack on the progressive forces by the global right, we should be vigilant that even as we must hold each other accountable, we should not surrender freedom to the reactionary forces,” he said.

Mabuyakhulu said there was a need to defend the revolution from detractors.

“It is a matter of public record: last year our movement in KZN suffered a huge setback at the polls. It is also a fact that those results occasioned our release of the levers of power in this province,” he said, adding that they are committed to restoring the ANC to its former glory.

Progressive professionals are an integral motive force to sustaining democracy, he said. “For the past 31 years of democratic rule, progressive professionals have nurtured and supported this important project.”

He said revolution still faces resistance. “The socioeconomic transformation project is currently experiencing a backlash from those who benefited from the apartheid project. Emboldened by the weakness they perceive in us, they have gone to unprecedented lengths to undermine the democratic state, including peddling lies about the persecution of a particular race when that is not the case.”

He said this is a desperate attempt to hold on to racially based privileges. “This is a direct attack to the transformation project. This is undermining the decades of work that you, as progressive professionals, have put in to rebuild our country. Despite our differences, we must all rise to protect the hard-won gains of our revolution.”

Mabuyakhulu vowed to crack down on factionalism within their ranks: “The ANC must embody integrity and service, dismantling patronage networks and prioritising ethical leadership. Internal divisions are the achilles heel of our movement. We will dismantle factional strongholds, foster ideological unity and cultivate a spirit of revolutionary comradeship. Unity isn’t a slogan — it’s a survival strategy.”

The planned national dialogue provides the best platform to shape the society they want, he said. “It is a unique platform that, if harnessed properly, will provide a reset for our country and focus all of us on a single goal of building a truly united, inclusive, equal and prosperous society.”

He also touched on the government of provincial unity (GPU), saying it was a tactical move: “The fact of the matter is that we lost in 2024. The GPU is a tactic we adopted so that we could maintain a hold on state power, otherwise, we risked being relegated to opposition benches, where we would have been less effective.

“We will continue to participate in the GPU as long as it serves our people and brings stability to our province. The only certain way that the ANC can exit the GPU, other than sharp differences in approach or realignment among GPU partners, is by winning a decisive victory at the next polls.”

Provincial PTT convenor Jeff Radebe said he has no doubt the ANC will bounce back and regain power. “We are working hard towards rebuilding the ANC and we will succeed on our mission,” he said.

They will engage with all different structures in society in their quest to renew the party. Radebe added.

Lusanda Zwane, who represented the medical profession, said the ANC needed to ask themselves why professionals are distancing themselves from the movement.

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