
He said only the battles of ideas are allowed, not insults.
ANC PEC member Mandla Msibi has said comrades are allowed to critique one another as long as that form of criticism doesn’t degenerate to insult.
He said comrades should not even be afraid to critique those that they support ahead of the 13th elective conference.
Msibi spoke for the first time in a gathering organised to declare support for acting chairman Mandla Ndlovu and Gert Sibande leader Muzi Chirwa to take charge of Mpumalanga ANC since campaigns began a year ago – a slate where Msibi himself is listed as the provincial treasurer.
Msibi addressed a packed Emerlo Sport Inn hall in a Cadres’ Forum that was organised by the Gert Sibande ANC and supported by branches of the youth league from Nkangala led by regional chairman Bobo Mtsweni and a number of ANC branches from Mbombela.
He said members should feel free to call anybody to order and there should be no “demigods” in the movement who use the rule of fear to drive decisions.
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He said he himself is not afraid to say anything in any ANC meeting, if he happens to have “a view and a conviction that I believe will advance the course of the ANC”.
“The problem with us is that we disempower the leaders that we want to lead us, we don’t tell them their weaknesses,” Msibi said when he addressed at Ermelo Sports Inn hall 9 February 2020.
“Just because you support comrade Mandla Ndlovu or Speedy Mashilo it doesn’t mean you should not tell them when they are wrong”.

Msibi said local government was faced with issues of corruption and underperforming officials. He said the ANC has suffered a lot because of this.
“As long as I give tenders to my friends I’m going to continue to disturb the calendar of supply chain and the people suffer. And that must not happen comrades,” he said.
He shared the stage with ANCWL PTT co-ordinator Lydia Moroane who dropped the bomb on Premier Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane’s campaigns to be ANC chair, saying as women they are looking for “quality leadership” and won’t give power to anybody who does not have the satisfying credentials to take society forward.
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Their campaign wants Ndlovu as the chair, Nkangala leader Speedy Mashilo as deputy chair, Chirwa as secretary, acting secretary Lindiwe Ntshalintshali to retain her post of deputy secretary and Msibi becomes the treasurer.
But Msibi himself could face-off with Ermelo strongman Sibusiso ‘The Great’ Sgudla who could contest the treasurer post when Tsipane lobbyists conclude their slate.
The Tsipane slate has her as chair, provincial treasurer Vusi Shongwe as deputy chair, PEC member Pat Ngomane as secretary, spokeswoman Sasekani Manzini as deputy secretary. They were still discussing the treasurer post.
(edited by MLM)
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