Buti Manamela: ANC not for friends, families

THE ANC and its alliance partners did not defeat apartheid for the ANC to be donated to friends and relatives of its leaders, SACP central executive committee member Buti Manamela told workers in King William’s Town yesterday.

A handful of Cosatu affiliates turned up to listen to speeches by alliance leaders at the Victoria Grounds.

“Our organisations, comrades, cannot be donated to individuals. Our organisations cannot be run by individuals. Our organisations are not for families or relatives, they are organisations of people and they must remain committed to the advancement of the success of workers.

“We did not struggle so that a few must be rich. (Some of) those who struggled lost their lives so that we can all be liberated,” Manamela said.

He said the Struggle against apartheid was not for “selected individuals” to get rich at the expense of the poor.

“We did not defeat white minority rule to replace it with black capitalist rule.

“We did not defeat white oppressors so that we substitute them with black oppressors.

“We also did not expose white monopoly capital so that we replace it with black opportunists,” said Manamela.

“We must deal decisively with corruption. Corruption, ransacking and corporate capture remain one of the critical enemies of our revolution,” said Manamela.

Nehawu’s general secretary Bareng Soke reaffirmed the position of Cosatu in support of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa in his presidential bid to succeed President Jacob Zuma.

“We really need a leadership that will ensure that our movement is united.

“We will defend the ANC but indeed there are challenges within the ANC that need to be resolved,” said Soke.

Manamela told shop stewards of Cosatu affiliates to listen to the needs of workers.

“Let’s use this May Day to ensure that trade unions are about workers.

‘‘Let’s mobilise all workers behind the progressive banner of Cosatu. Let’s tell workers that there is no progressive federation like Cosatu,” Manamela said.