ANC Expects Mbeki to Campaign in 2024 Elections Amid Skepticism Over Impact

Amidst the challenges confronting South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC), there are rising expectations for its former leaders, including the respected former President Thabo Mbeki, to rally in support of the party for the imminent national and provincial elections in 2024. Despite a clear distaste for the status quo and public reproof of the ANC's current trajectory, Mbeki's loyalty to the ANC seems to incur a de facto expectation from party spokespersons that he will join the campaign trail.

The ANC, through its spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu, has expressed a bold anticipation that Mbeki, among other former leaders, should embrace their implicit responsibility to actively campaign for the party. This expectation is deeply rooted in a belief system of loyalty and obligation, suggesting the party's reliance on the reverence that figures like Mbeki command within the political landscape of South Africa.

Mbeki's antipathy towards the ANC's recent shortcomings is well-documented. His outspoken criticism on matters such as the crisis of load shedding, the Phala Phala farm controversy, and the ANC's service delivery failures has not only stirred political debates but also reflected a dissonance from the party line. Notwithstanding, the ANC seems to believe that despite these divergences, Mbeki's allegiance will lead him to campaign for the party he once led.

Yet, his lack of explicit commitment to this effect, as evidenced by reports of his refusal to campaign until the party undergoes renewal, has brought this assumption into question. The friction is palpable, given ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula's flip-flopping stance—from critiquing Mbeki's commentary to later defending his legacy within the party and admitting that it was a mistake to dismiss him before his presidential term concluded.

Political analyst Lesiba Teffo brings a pragmatic perspective to the conversation, articulating skepticism regarding the potential impact of Mbeki's involvement in the upcoming election campaign. According to Teffo, while Mbeki's tenure as president is marked by competence and a steered moral vision, those hallmark achievements may not suffice to salvage the ANC from the anticipated decrease in electoral support. In Teffo's view, Mbeki would be well-advised to preserve his legacy and not involve himself too closely with a party enduring a beleaguered phase.

As the nation approaches the 2024 general elections, the dynamics of the ANC's campaign strategy and the role that its historical figures will play come into sharp focus. Whether the revered figures like Mbeki can influence the outcome of the elections remains uncertain, as does the extent to which they are willing to engage with a party whose image has been marred by internal strife and faltering public confidence.