JOHANNESBURG – Former Finance Minister Trevor Manuel believes there’s a strong chance the ANC might lose the 2019 elections.

He was speaking after the Eric Molobi memorial lecture at the University of Johannesburg, during which he said the party is in trouble.

Former Finance Minister Manuel says, “We lived with the slogan “ANC lives, ANC leads”. At the moment I don’t think that’s in evidence. The fortunes as represented by the 2016 local government elections shown an 8% drop.”

READ: Zuma the worst leader ANC has ever had: SACP

“Now I know we can’t always use that as a proxy. I also know that once the ANC is in trouble, other political parties still have a long way to reach the fortunes. But I have said before that the trend line looks as though it will be coalition politics beyond the 2019 elections.”

Manuel reiterated that not all the blame can be placed on Zuma as there are people who have been acting on his behalf. He says that notable in the ANC NEC that just do what they are told, without questioning. 

He added that the capabilities of the Hawks, the NPA, the public protector and the public protector need to be questioned. As upholders of the law he says that these state bodies need to not only serve the interest of the ruling elite but also the common man.

#Manuel: The same movement [ANC] that mobilisd people regardless of class, race and gender…is now no longer capable of doing that. Those embedded in key roles serve only their masters and not the people.

— Michael Appel (@TheMikeAppel) November 9, 2017

#Manuel: Today we must ask why the NPA, the Scorpions who became the Hawks, police Crime Intelligence, #SSA, and even the @PublicProtector have been rendered “incapable”. Parliament can be added to this.

— Michael Appel (@TheMikeAppel) November 9, 2017

#Manuel: I wish I could attribute this all to President #Zuma. But he doesn’t act alone. In fact, he often gets people to act on his behalf. The ANC NEC does what it is told. There are very notable exceptions.

— Michael Appel (@TheMikeAppel) November 9, 2017

#Manuel: If so much money is said to have exchanged hands back in 2012 [at Mangaung]…imagine how much will exchange hands at the #ANC‘s December conference in just 37 days?

— Michael Appel (@TheMikeAppel) November 9, 2017

#Manuel: My hunch is there is fresh manipulation of numbers to come in the #ANC December elective conference. The likelihood of December collapsing on day 1 and 2 due to credentials is incredibly likely.

— Michael Appel (@TheMikeAppel) November 9, 2017

#Manuel: ANC must take action and not rhetoric to change the situation. There is probably zero prospect of that happening. We need an #ANC that recognises it has lost its way.

— Michael Appel (@TheMikeAppel) November 9, 2017

#Manuel: If the #ANC are incapable of leading they will simply have to follow. Right now it appears too self serving to think of the ppl of South Africa. I can’t tell you how painful this self-realisation is for me.

— Michael Appel (@TheMikeAppel) November 9, 2017

#Manuel: What is #Zuma on about [re #nuclear] when the big challenge is how do we provide good quality service to the people? How can we look people in the eye and tell them that tomorrow will be better than today?

— Michael Appel (@TheMikeAppel) November 9, 2017

#Manuel: There is a belief that if they [the NEC] act within the #ANC there will be another breakaway. They are prisoners of their own inaction now.

— Michael Appel (@TheMikeAppel) November 9, 2017

#Manuel: The old [#ANC] hasn’t died and the new isn’t born yet. The movement is paying the price. It’s history, it’s traditions are paying the price. There is walking over the sacrifice of so many.

— Michael Appel (@TheMikeAppel) November 9, 2017

eNCA