Mantashe warns ANC MPs not to vote against Zuma in Parliament

The ANC has sent its strongest warning yet that it will not tolerate dissent in the motion of no confidence vote against President Jacob Zuma, according to a report by News24.

This follows a statement by ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe in which he noted that any ANC MPs supporting a motion of no confidence against President Jacob Zuma would be “the highest betrayal”.

Instead he warned that any ANC members unhappy with Zuma should rather continue to fight from within the party.

“The most important characteristic of organisational discipline, is the ability to suppress your emotional feeling, if you can’t suppress your emotional feeling, we can’t talk organisational discipline of any sorts,” said Mantashe.

“We have a duty to sort ourselves out, the horizon might be longer or shorter but it is us who have the obligation to sort ourselves out.”

“But what you don’t do, because your father is a drunkard, is throw him to the thugs.

“When they fight in the ANC there is always a chance of losing a debate, and that is what you must build into the system. That you put [forward] issues, you lose a debate, and when you lose that debate, they shout you have ‘Mantashed’,” he concluded.

Political analysts believe that next week’s NEC meeting could be make or break for President Jacob Zuma as the party will decide whether to allow him to complete his presidential term or recall him early.

This follows continued infighting within the party, brought to a head this week by the reappointment of Brian Molefe as Eskom CEO.

Read: Zuma and Ramaphosa being consulted to resolve Molefe issue