Danny Jordaan not missing in action: ANC
African National Congress Head of Campaigning, Nomvula Mokonyane, on Friday refuted claims that Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Danny Jordaan was "missing in action".
Senior ANC officials have been canvassing for support in the Eastern Cape province, ahead of the party's local government elections manifesto launch scheduled for Saturday in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Speaking at a state of readiness media briefing at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Friday, Mokonyane responded to a question about the Nelson Mandela mayor and said Jordaan was deeply in action ahead of the party's manifesto launch.
"As we speak, he is - together with the minister of social development - they are opening a centre for victims of substance abuse. We have deployed him there. Yesterday [Thursday] he was deployed to interact with civil society together with the President … so he is deeply in action, but it's just that in instances some of these programmes are not followed."
"Later today [Friday] at about 18:00 he will be interacting with another group who wants to engage the ANC in matters of youth development in the metro, so that's where we have been utilising comrade Danny and he has been doing very well," said Mokonyane.
Meanwhile, ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe told reporters that the ANC was not in denial around the Nkandla debacle and the Constitutional Court ruling pertaining to the State overspending on President Jacob Zuma's private homestead in KwaZulu-Natal.
"Anything the opposition can find to use against the ANC they will use it, that narrative will continue, it's a continuation of that," he said.
Mantashe said that the ANC was not in denial but rather "owning up" by engaging with people on the ground, explaining how decisions were made.
"So we are not in denial. We are dealing with the issues on the ground," said Mantashe.
He also added that it was an "exaggeration" when the United Democratic Front (UDM) "got excited" when the ANC lost one ward to an opposition party.
"The public narrative is biased of the ANC, because when we win back ward 40 from the DA, it's hush hush," he said.
The Manifesto Launch is set to take place on Saturday at 10am with interfaith prayers, followed by messages of support from the SA Communist Party, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco). Zuma, the President of the ANC, is expected to speak at 11am. - ANA