Professionals have warned the ANC to urgently address some of its pressing challenges or risk being wiped out as an electoral force.

They said while the ANC is not yet at risk of reaching the seabed, it will soon be there if it does not tackle the challenges that the party has highlighted as a threat to its electoral prospects.

The ANC leadership in KwaZulu-Natal is currently on a charm offensive and has been meeting with various stakeholders in its bid to reconnect with the party’s support base.

Recently, it has been holding meetings with professionals, including lawyers, doctors, managers, and finance experts, as it seeks to bring them back to the fold. It is expected to meet with business, religious leaders, opinion makers, women, the youth and the elderly in the coming weeks as its solicit their views on the way forward.

The party leadership yesterday told KwaZulu-Natal professionals that they have a leading role to play in the rebuilding of the ANC, pointing out that the founders of the party, 113 years ago, came from professional ranks.

The professionals took the opportunity to highlight challenges they are facing in their respective fields. The lawyers raised concerns about the skewed briefing patterns in the legal fraternity, while doctors expressed worries about staffing shortages in the healthcare sector.

The professionals sent a stern warning to the ANC, saying they still believe in the party, but challenged the former liberation movement to “put its house back in order”.

Dr Sandile Tshabalala, of the Progressive Professionals Forum (PPF), said: “We must emphasise that the engagement between us and the ANC has not been at the level we thought it should have been throughout our existence. Therefore, I have been concerned as the think tank we represent has not been utilised effectively. We were produced by the ANC government, but we do not get to be used, and that is wrong. We hope this marks the beginning of many engagements where we can contribute.”

“In our view, comrade Ndiyema (KZN ANC leader Mike Mabuyakhulu), the ANC is not on the seabed but it could soon be there if the problems that you (leadership) have highlighted are not addressed. The fact that we have been losing elections proves that there is something wrong.”

He suggested that those seeking to lead the ANC should attend the ANC Excellence Training and Development Programme, adding that while many aspire to lead the party, they tend to know very little about it.

“For the ANC to remain afloat and loved by the people, serving the people and respecting them is essential,” he said.

ANC leader Nomagugu Simelane-Mngadi spoke about the importance of understanding why professionals have shunned the party.

“We are under no illusion about the moment we are in; we know that if the ANC is to continue being the torchbearer of transformation and black excellence, it must first rebuild itself, not only in structures but in the values it stands for, instilling discipline among its ranks and its ability to lead with credibility. This process of renewal is a mission to reconnect with society and reposition the ANC as a trustworthy and capable force for change.”

She said the ANC cannot rebuild alone, adding that it must reconnect with the professionals it was originally founded to serve.

THE MERCURY