If the ANC fails to tackle unresolved issues it will continue to lose support nationally, the party’s Eastern Cape executive chair Oscar Mabuyane says.Referring to the ANC’s reduced majority in the Eastern Cape, from 70.09% of the vote in 2014 to 68.74% in 2019, Mabuyane – likely to be premier of the province – said the party would have loved more support.“We are on a downward spiral nationally.“At least this year we had a slight drop, but we don’t want to lose anything and don’t want to encourage that retrenchment.“But if we continue having unresolved issues we will continue having these kind of retrenchments,” he said.“We need to get our people closer, deal with the trust deficit, monitor government programmes tightly and not only expose [ourselves] to people during elections but be there throughout so that they know you.”Mabuyane was still in a celebratory mood after attending the Siyabonga gathering at the ANC’s Luthuli House headquarters in Johannesburg.He said it was still too early to discuss the names in the new provincial executive council, but it would be a competent collective that must be equal to the task so the ANC could hit the ground running.Mabuyane said earlier that the party would transform how the state machinery worked.“We’ve got to inculcate a culture in the public service with people who know they are there not just to earn salaries because they are serving ordinary people.“If they can’t do that, go. “The government must also do its part by giving workers what is due to them.”In the Eastern Cape, it could take up to two years for municipalities to approve rezoning applications, he said.“It can take up to eight months for environmental impact assessments to be done.“This needs to change because some investors won’t wait that long.”He said municipalities should be used as a platform to grow development and create opportunities for people that would lead to decent jobs.“We have to get at least one international airport in the province and Port Elizabeth is a strategic place.“You can’t have an international airport with no international flights, and PE will draw tourists to other parts of the province.”Mabuyane said important projects included Mthombo, PetroSA’s 360,000-barrel-a-day refinery mooted for Coega’s industrial development zone since 2008.He said this was one of the catalytic projects identified for the province.On dealing with the rot in Bhisho, he said this element was everywhere and mirrored in society.People found guilty of corruption were being cleared out of the political system right now, he said.“We know corruption can be perceived and can be real.“Where it is found to be real, we are going to deal with that.“Corruption is a problem, but in the process of dealing with it we must not actually destroy or artificially obliterate our people,” Mabuyane said.