In what appears to be a push back ahead of Monday’s “compulsory” meeting with the ANC’s National Working Committee (NWC), the provincial secretary of the party in KwaZulu-Natal has said top leaders must also account for the May 29 electoral drubbing.

Bheki Mtolo says it is fair that all party members, from branches to the national leadership, account for the ANC’s electoral decline, which saw the governing party losing its outright majority for the first time since 1994. 

He was speaking late yesterday in KwaDukuza in the north of Durban where there was a renewal programme of the party. 

Mtolo’s comment comes as the entire provincial executive committee (PEC) prepares to attend a compulsory meeting in Gauteng on Monday after being summoned by ANC top brass. It has been widely speculated that the PEC will be disbanded after KwaZulu-Natal slipped out of the ANC’s control after the polls. 

The provincial ANC, led by chairperson Siboniso Duma, declined from 44 seats to 17 out of the 80 in the provincial legislature. That led to the decline of the ANC at the national level to 40 percent.

“You see comrades, the ANC at national level got 40 percent, national, meaning the NEC at national level lost the country by 40 percent. The National Executive led by Baba (Mr) Ramaphosa and Baba Mbalula lost the country by 40 percent.

“They must take that responsibility. Thina sino (we) Duma, we are taking our own responsibility of losing the province (KZN) to 17 percent,” Mtolo said at the KwaDukuza gathering yesterday. 

In the same speech, Mtolo appeared to be lenient when he said all members must introspect and not blame Ramaphosa only for the loss. 

The ANC is mum regarding the agenda of the much anticipated meeting with the KZN leadership.