POLITRICKING | 'We are inside a sinking ship': Lesufi on ANC’s election showing in Gauteng

After the African National Congress (ANC) didn’t fare well in South Africa’s economic hub and gateway to Africa, Gauteng, in the recent polls, re-elected Premier Panyaza Lesufi does not have his tail between his legs.
 
The party failed to garner a 50% plus one majority and managed to clinch 36% of the votes in the province, resulting in a minority government.
 
Speaking on the second season of the Politricking with Tshidi Madia podcast, he said that playing open cards about the ANC’s decimation in the recent polls was necessary for behavioural change.

"So, when we are explicit that we lost elections, and there's a possibility that we might not even come back, to me, I think it can be a wakeup call," he said, likening his party to a "sinking ship".
 
He said that refusing to acknowledge defeat would see the ANC shrouded in denialism, and repeating the same mistakes.
 
"We will continue to do the same thing again, but if you are explicit, it sends a strong message. We need to change our attitude. You need to change the way we operate. We need to change the way we relate with our voters, and the government must accept it."
 
'THE ANC HAS BEEN DEFENSIVE'
 
Lesufi went as far as laying bare the party’s initial denialism.
 
"We've been defending that some of the service delivery challenges were not out of our own making, but the voters have just written a report about us," he said, adding that the electorate nudged the ANC to take ownership of all its governance flaws "from corruption [to] failing to fight crime; service delivery related matters".
 
"So, when we are explicit that we lost elections, and there's a possibility that we might not even come back, I think it can be a wakeup call… actually, I still think it's a miracle that with 36% we are in the driver's seat of this government."
 
Gauteng’s minority provincial Cabinet comprises the ANC, Patriotic Alliance (PA), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), and Rise Mzansi.
 
In his recement State of the Province Address, Lesufi reiterated Gauteng’s vigour to fight crime and bolster public infrastructure in places like the Johannesburg CBD.
 
"Those are the things that voters told us almost nine months before elections, so we just have to recover and deal with those particular issues."
 
'WE ARE IN A SINKING SHIP'
 
Noting the ANC’s downward spiral, Lesufi didn’t mince his words.
 
"The ANC is going through difficulties. I mean, I hate it when people try to sugarcoat it, or people try to put it lightly," he said.

"We are inside the sinking ship, and the ship is sinking at a faster pace. Instead of us trying to find why the ship is sinking and close the hole that is making this ship to sink."
 
The ANC, he said, should speedily realise its vulnerability and step up to the plate "to deal with the challenges".
 
"We must accept we are going through difficulties,” said Lesufi, who believes his party can be salvaged.