SACP’s call to drop Zuma from poll campaign lashed

THE KWAZULU-Natal ANC Youth League has lashed out at SACP first deputy general secretary Solly Mapaila over his call for former president Jacob Zuma to be withdrawn from the party’s election campaign programmes.

Mapaile said during the Chris Hani memorial lecture in East London at the weekend that the SACP would not campaign for the ANC if Zuma is not withdrawn.

“We seek to transform society to lead it somewhere and to get there we need incorruptible leaders. We can’t have that kind of face representing our value system. That is completely against what we stand for.”

The ANC in KZN maintained that it would use Zuma to campaign in the province. He was part of the party’s voter registration programme in the province last month.

ANCYL provincial spokesperson Mandla Shange said the league would not heed Mapaila’s call.

“We are not taking Solly Mapaila seriously. We have noted the anger and hatred he’s displaying.”

Shange insisted that Zuma would campaign like any ANC member in good standing.

He said isolating Zuma was equal to rewriting ANC history with the aim of deleting his participation in the liberation Struggle.

When contacted, Mapaila said he would not respond to Shange.

The ANC in KZN will today hold a meeting of all 11 party regions with provincial interim committee (PIC) co-ordinator Sihle Zikalala outlining election campaign strategies.

The meeting will also focus on issues of unity between warring factions in the province ahead of the 2019 elections.

Prominent anti-Zuma ANC activist in KZN Laurence Dube said including him in the party’s campaign programmes would be a breach of the party’s Nasrec conference resolutions.

“The resolutions state if you are facing such allegations, the ANC should give you the space to sort out your problems.

His campaign would affect the credibility of the ANC among voters,” he said.

WE’RE NOT TAKING MAPAILA SERIOUSLY OVER HIS BID TO HAVE THE FORMER PRESIDENT BUMPED FROM THE ELECTION PROGRAMME