Former president Thabo Mbeki paid a three-day visit to the Free State province, in the capital city of the province, Mangaung, in bid to assist the African National Congress (ANC) in the province with their process of unity and renewal.
The then president of the ANC’s visit to the province comes at a time where the ruling party is at its last resort for survival.
He was deployed to the province to deal with factional battles in the province.
This follows the cracks caused by division dating back from 2012.
Mbeki was on a unity drive as the party tries to regain stability, especially as it prepares for its upcoming national elective conference in December.
The Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) was dissolved in 2018 following the Supreme Court of Appeal’s order, after it found that the provincial election was unlawful and unconstitutional.
During the 2018 conference, former Police, Roads and Transport MEC Sam Mashinini was elected to replace the governing party’s suspended secretary-general, Ace Magashule.
SCA ruled that these elections were unlawful and the province had to elect the Interim Provincial Committee (IPC), which saw former Free State MEC Mxolisi Dukwana lead an interim leadership structure of the ANC in the embattled province.
In his visit to the province, Mbeki strongly cautioned that the party has to self-correct and rework on its renewal strategy.
This comes at the time, where the ANC in the province lost its crucial municipality, Maluti-A-Phofung to the newly formed independent candidates, MAP 16 during 2021 municipal elections.
This is where the ruling party have a strong hold of support.
He told a gathering that the ANC may need to audit its membership to entrench the renewal project.
Mbeki was handpicked as the ideal man to attempt to unify the province.
In his speech, he emphasised that the economy of the country is in a deep crisis.
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