Chikane document will not be discussed at NGC - Mantashe

Johannesburg - ANC veteran Frank Chikane's document on the problems facing the ruling party will not be discussed at the National General Council (NGC), secretary general Gwede Mantashe said on Thursday.

This was despite Chikane requesting a meeting with the ANC's top six leaders in a bid to place his concerns on the agenda.

Mantashe told reporters in Midrand, Johannesburg ahead of the NGC, that Chikane was a normal member of the ANC and so had to operate within its structures.

He was also part of the 64 former national executive committee (NEC) members attending the NGC.

"Close your eyes and imagine... that [if] every member of the ANC just writes a document, it goes to the NGC. There will be chaos," Mantashe said. 

"The ANC operates structurally... So we are not going to discuss individual views."

The NGC is set to start on Friday.

According to City Press, Chikane drafted the document after a workshop at his Liliesleaf Farm branch.

It is believed to have been circulated to the Johannesburg region, as well as to the province and the ANC's Luthuli House headquarters.

In the document, Chikane warned the ANC that it had reached a point of no return, and faced the possibility of losing elections unless it owned up to its problems.

Mantashe said Chikane, who was director-general in the presidency under former President Thabo Mbeki, could raise any matters he thought were important at the NGC, like any other ANC member.

This article first appeared on News24 – see here.