SACP urges leaders to ‘do the right thing’

Sisulu dismisses current setbacks, calls for united ANC in 2019

KHAYELITSHA residents welcomed Human Settlements Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, with Struggle songs to the Zola Secondary School where she participated in a memorial for Chris Hani. Today is the 24th anniversary of Hani’s assassination in 1993.

“Leadership is not about what you say, or what I say; leadership is about what we do,” said Sisulu.

She acknowledged that the governing party was going through “many challenges” recently, in light of the public campaign to remove Jacob Zuma as the president of the country.

Sisulu, an ANC national executive committee member, said the party’s NEC met on Monday last week to discuss the issues it faced.

“Committee members have said to me they are aware of the current setbacks. We ask that we all work together to serve our people so that the ANC can regain its solidarity and power in 2019,” she said.

Also speaking at the Chris Hani Memorial Lecture was Cuba’s ambassador to the country, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, who said Cuba and South Africa had much in common: “History has shown us if we fail in the basics, we won’t survive as a nation.”

In light of Zuma’s midnight cabinet cull two weeks ago, and the downgrade of the country’s investment status by two of the world’s three biggest ratings agencies, opposition parties have called for yet another debate of no-confidence in Zuma.

That debate would take place on April 18, National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete announced last week.

“On behalf of the community, we are telling you, our leaders at Parliament, to do the right thing and let the president of this country resign,” said Tembela Dakuse, deputy chairperson of the SACP at the Brian Bunting district.

Regional organiser of the National Union of Mineworkers, Benson Ngqentsu, said: “There is a radical transformation we are not sure about. Is it a radical transformation for our people, or the Guptas? Is the ANC putting the people’s needs, SA’s needs, or the Guptas needs first? What do you want to happen, do you want the current situations to eat the party to pieces?”

HISTORY HAS SHOWN US IF WE FAIL IN THE BASICS WE WON’T SURVIVE AS A NATION

PICTURE: PHANDO JIKELO CELEBRATING CHRIS HANI: SACP and ANC supporters singing at the Zola High School in Khayelitsha. The Minister of Human Settlements Lindiwe Sisulu was there as a guest speaker at the Chris Hani Memorial Lecture, flanked by Cuba’s ambassador to SA, Carlos...