Former South African President Thabo Mbeki Hit On ANC

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki Hit On ANC

Thabo Mbeki says the ANC has attracted opportunists and careerists, who use their access to state power to enrich themselves rather than serve the nation.

“Many among our members see their membership of the ANC as a means to advance their personal ambitions, to attain positions of power and access to resources for their own individual gratification,” Mbeki said.

“The result I am talking about is that we have attracted into and continued to retain opportunists and careerists within our ranks. These are the people who join the movement not because they respect or support any of the strategic objectives of our movement,” said Mbeki on Friday.

“They join with great ease that our procedures as a mass movement permit with the sole aim of furthering their personal careers and using their access to state power we have as a ruling party to enrich themselves,” Mbeki said.

“Where are we with regard to the task of the liberation movement towards South Africa as spelt out by Nkosi Luthuli and, secondly, where are we with regard to the achievement of the vision for Africa advanced by Chief Luthuli?

“I believe that it is self-evident that for the ANC to remain loyal to the commitment Chief Luthuli made – that it would carry on the programme of Africa liberation and freedom for all to the best of its ability – it would have to retain its character as a true servant of the people.

He addressed careerism within ANC ranks at the 2021 Chief Albert Luthuli Memorial Lecture on Friday evening.