The Greater Tshwane branch of the South African National Civic Organisations (SANCO) opines that it is in an “abusive marriage” with the ANC.
“We have a problem with stubborn ANC leaders and as a result some people hate the ANC, but I must emphasise that the ANC per se is not problematic; that is its leaders who are problematic because they often undermine the very community that has elected them,” said firebrand Tshwane SANCO acting chairperson Fire Mlilo Mashao at a donation ceremony held by his organisation on Tuesday in Mamelodi.
According to Mashao, SANCO is in an alliance with the ANC “but in actual fact we are in an abusive marriage with the ANC because we are treated like an unwanted stepchild in the alliance with the ANC,” he said.
“But we won’t divorce the ANC because our dead parents left us in the ANC and to those among us who have decided to leave SANCO and the ANC to join the MK Party we are saying go well,” enthused Mashao.
“Those of us who have decided to stay on in the SANCO/ANC alliance will face the ANC and fix it and that is why as SANCO we must be united so as to assist the ANC to address its challenges,” he said.
He said as SANCO they must not contribute to further divisions in the ANC but must remain neutral and wherever we see wrong things happening inside the ANC we must step in and caution against such things,” said Mashao.
He said those who defy SANCO’s decision to be neutral and not support any warring factions in the ANC are guilty of ill-discipline.
He encouraged SANCO members to also join the ANC formally and form branches of the ANC in their own wards because that will help them to be delegates during the time of conferences and that is where they will be able to rectify the ANC and influence its policies,” said Mashao as he indicated in the process that complaining and fighting while being outside the structures of the ANC won’t help much.
He revealed that SANCO strives towards getting its members elected as Councillors at various wards in Tshwane.
“But in many instances once our members have duly been elected as Ward Councillors they turn against SANCO and declare that they were elected into their positions by the ANC and that SANCO must be abolished as it is a nuisance,” lamented Mashao.
He said though SANCO has for the longest time been supporting ANC candidates during elections, it is now time for SANCO members to also make themselves available for positions as Councillors because what is presently happening is that once some people occupy high positions either in the government itself or the ANC, they forget about ordinary members of the community and concentrate on granting favours to friends and family members as well as their own “slay queens.”
He said SANCO doesn’t contest state power but would like to share what ever is available with community members, including getting its members employed in community development projects that are taking place in their areas, and that SANCO members must not be intimidated by critics who may call them “project mongers.”
Mashao reckons that if at least one SANCO member had been appointed to the position of MMC then the said MMC would have contributed a lot towards the employment of various community members in the projects that are run by the City of Tshwane Municipality.