ANC figures turn on Zuma
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma was told, in the most forthright way, yesterday: “Go now!” ANC veteran and former director-general of foreign affairs Sipho Pityana, speaking at the funeral of Makhenkesi Stofile at Fort Hare University, lashed Zuma and urged him to step aside.
“If the president was here I would have asked him as my leader, I would have begged him, I would have prayed, saying: ‘My big brother, Msholozi, hand over the reins!’
“The next battle cannot be led by a leader who has humiliated our organisation and undermined everything that we represent.”
At the funeral Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa became the most senior government official to publicly back Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.
Pityana said he had prepared his 30-minute speech anticipating that Zuma would attend the funeral. Zuma had embarrassed the ANC by failing in his constitutional duty. He also blamed the entire ANC national executive committee for the dismal performance during the local government elections, in which it lost three metros to the DA.
Responding to the blistering attack at the funeral of the former Eastern Cape premier and cabinet minister, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said they could not take what was said at the funeral of an ANC member as a basis to change policies.
Questioned about the call for the party to disband its national leadership for an early congress, Mantashe said although the ANC did not formulate its policies out of speeches delivered at funerals, its ranks would discuss Pityana’s call.
Mantashe, who was at the funeral, told The Mercury that other speakers had corroborated what Pityana had said.
“Our responsibility is to take their views for discussion in the organisation,” said Mantashe.
Talking directly to Mantashe, Pityana said that for the party to take collective responsibility for the election outcome, its leaders should also step down.
“People who take collective responsibility fall on their swords.
“So the leadership that got us into the crisis that we are in must also accept that it is not capable of launching us in a new battle to make sure that this organisation survives,” he said.
“We say we are a party that is against corruption, and yet at every moment we seem to be falling over each other to steal from the poor.”
Pityana said unlike Zuma, Stofile was an exemplary leader while he was the Eastern Cape premier, who did not manipulate government structures to defend himself from corruption charges.
He said when Stofile was ac- cused of corruption, he followed judicial processes to clear his name.
“He was accused of corruption, a commission of inquiry was appointed. He did not play the avoidance game. He submitted himself to public scrutiny.
“When it made an unfavourable finding against him he did not cast aspersions against it, he did not insult the judiciary. He took the matter on judicial review and cleared his name.”
Pityana said Zuma had acted in a manner contrary to Stofile’s by building his Nkandla “palace in a sea of poverty”.
He said Zuma had insulted the judiciary and turned against Public Protector Thuli Mandonsela.
The ANC had ceded its moral high ground, while looking for scapegoats outside itself, saying that “there are people who do not like us, there are people who are attacking us, and there are people reporting negatively”.
He said the arrogance in the ANC had cost it support.
“In 2004 we had 69% of the electorate, in 2016 we had 54. Unless drastic steps are taken today, in 2019 we are going to get less than 40%,” he said.
He said an early conference would help the wounded party to heal only if its delegates would go through lifestyle audits to elect younger leaders.
“We don’t want thieves to elect us other leaders after this. It is about time those among us who are aged spend their time playing with their grandchildren,” he said.
He concluded by appealing to former comrades who left to join Cope, the EFF and United Front.
“Comrades, just come back and fight. This battle is not over.”
Mantashe said the party would not take action against Pityana for addressing the party in public about its challenges, instead of raising them internally.
“Pityana as a member of the ANC was speaking at a funeral of another member of the ANC. He spoke at a funeral of a comrade and a colleague,” said Mantashe.
THE ANC confirmed yesterday that it would fight a court bid to overturn the outcome of its KwaZuluNatal provincial congress that ultimately led to the sacking of the province’s premier.
ANC provincial spokesman Mdumiseni Ntuli confirmed that the party had filed papers opposing an application which sought to have last November’s provincial conference declared null and void.
“We believe it is baseless,” he said.
Lawrence Dube‚ Sibahle Zikalala‚ Martin Mzangwa, Mzweni Ngcobo and Lindiwe Buthelezi claimed in their application to the Pietermaritzburg High Court in July that cadre deployment and factionalism overruled the party’s democratic processes.
They said the conference was held illegally and the election was rigged.
Alpha Zwane, attorney for the five applicants, said his clients were proceeding with their application. – ANA