Former president Kgalema Motlanthe says the prevalence of "bogus branches and bogus members" has flawed the ANC's elective processes, adding that he would not be attending the ANC's elective conference in December, according to Business Day.
On the sidelines of a lecture given to Stellenbosch University's Business School on Friday night, Motlanthe told Business Day that the elective conference was increasingly flawed owing to electoral irregularities.
He reportedly said that branches and the leagues should take the lead in the electoral process.
"Once all of those processes and requirements are disregarded and delegates to the conference are not elected by members but handpicked by leaders on the basis of perceived support, it defeats the purpose of the majority of delegates being delegates from branches.
"Because the processes are flawed, it's really pointless to even hope that the outcomes of such flawed processes would be reflective of the collective views of the membership. It can produce any outcome, so it would be difficult to attach or invest in any hope in the process," he told Business Day.
Also on Friday, Motlanthe warned that democracy should not be taken for granted, according to Fin24. He said that "strategic action" should be taken to address challenges, and said that inclusive growth was necessary to address inequality.
"This view is increasing, questioning the capitalist system's ability to attend to challenges... It is important for countries to focus on competitiveness while keeping an eye on other factors. We always operate in a wider economic community," Motlanthe reportedly said.
Motlanthe has become increasingly vocal in his criticism of the ANC. He lost to President Jacob Zuma in a presidential election at Mangaung in 2012.
In an address to the launch of the Olof Palme Youth Education Initiative at Midrand High School earlier this month, Motlanthe was critical of the frequent Cabinet reshuffles that have occurred during Zuma's tenure.
According to News24, he said: "[The new minister comes with] 14 to 16 new senior managers without first going into the department and understanding the strength and institutional memory which resides in the department. You know what that means? It means that the state is being destabilised and weakened...
"It shouldn't happen that way, we should be very worried each time there is a reshuffle, it means the entire experienced team is set aside and a new team is brought in... because the state must always be stable," he said.