Ex- President says ANC needs to lose to renew itself

It will be good for South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) to lose the 2019 election, ex-President Kgalema Motlanthe has said. The party has become “associated” with corruption, and it has to lose for the “penny to drop”, he said. Mr Motlanthe is a senior ANC member whose comments show growing disillusionment with the […]

It will be good for South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) to lose the 2019 election, ex-President Kgalema Motlanthe has said.

The party has become “associated” with corruption, and it has to lose for the “penny to drop”, he said. Mr Motlanthe is a senior ANC member whose comments show growing disillusionment with the party.

The party has won each general election with more than 60% of the vote since white minority rule ended in 1994.

However, it lost some of South Africa’s main cities – including the commercial capital, Johannesburg – in local elections in 2014. Voters were seen to have punished the party because of worsening corruption within its ranks.