PRET withdraws decision to contest election after “fruitful” meeting with Mandla Ndlovu

Ndlovu confirmed having talks with the Mpumalanga organisation.

The Practical Radical Economic Transformation (PRET) group will no longer contest the 2019 general elections after having “fruitful” talks with Mpumalanga ANC acting chairman Mandla Ndlovu.

Ndlovu confirmed having talks with a PRET team that included Themba Sgudla and Sunday Mathebula.

013NEWS understands the meeting between the two parties occurred “in order to iron out” the differences that exist between them – after PRET publicly slammed ANC deputy president DD Mabuza for endorsing Ndlovu to succeed him and “ignorant” leaders who were “unwilling” to work with PRET.

SEE HERE: Sgudla threatens to leave ANC over “unwillingness” to work with PRET

“I can confirm that we had a meeting with PRET,” Ndlovu told the reporter over the phone, adding that it was to “speak about issues”.

In a statement released this week, Mathebula, who is PRET’s secretary, said his organisation met with Ndlovu on 2 April 2018.

He said they agreed that as an organisation they “will always be biased to the ANC” but will no longer endorse certain leaders to lead it at its special general council.

“PRET SA has no view and therefore instructs and advices [sic] all its members in their own rights to go to their representative branches and exercise their democratic rights as stated in the ANC constitution,” Mathebula said.

He said PRET “will continue to support the newly appointed leadership and watch closely their commitment towards radical economic transformation and unemployment”.

“We will continue to mobilise all our efforts, energies and progress in making sure that private sector delivers on corporate social investments and social labour plans,” said Mathebula.

“It is important that the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between PRET SA and the Mpumalanga provincial government is implemented without any delay,” he said.

He defined relations between Mabuza and their leader Sgudla as “healthy and bouncing”.

“To the best of our knowledge and the engagement that were carried through during Easter holidays their relationship is healthy and bouncing,” Mathebula said.

“We will continue to raise issues sharply with the deputy president of the country because we believe he is capable enough to champion the issue of Radical Economic Transformation,” he said.

“Secondly, we will continue to believe in him as the individual and collective in championing and implementing the resolutions of the 54th conference of the ANC without any delay,” the secretary said.

(edited by ZK)

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