Motlanthe says ‘good for ANC to lose power’ remark was due to frustration
Former ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe has moved to explain his 2017 remarks, in which he said it would be good for the party to lose an election.
Motlanthe spoke while on the campaign trial in Gauteng on Friday.
In 2017, Motlanthe was quoted as saying the ANC had become "associated" with corruption, and it had to lose for the "penny to drop”.
On Friday, he explained the remarks as borne out of frustration with the ANC, as he felt the party “couldn’t hear the cries of the people.”
The ANC is fighting to retain its outright majority in the May 29 general election, with some predicting the party could drop below 50% nationally for the first time since 1994.
“In 2017, I did make the point that perhaps the ANC has lost the ability to hear the cries and criticism of its support base and that perhaps that message would be made loud and clear if the ANC were to lose elections.
“It wasn’t a prediction or a wish but rather a plea to the leadership of the ANC to open up its ears and hear the cries of the ordinary people.
“It’s always important to have the context about at what point was a certain comment made, to what end, and in that way, there is no confusion about it. So, there is no contradiction because even then I said I was going to vote for the ANC,” added Motlanthe.
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