‘Zuma should be ashamed of himself’

TIDES High today . . . .5.19am, 5.47pm Tomorrow . . . . .6.03am, 6.32pm Low today . . .11.27am, 11.59pm Tomorrow . . .12.10am, midnight Spring tides . . . . . . . . . . . .Aug 2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aug 18 Neap Tides . . . . . . . . . . .July 27

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Aug 10 SUN/MOON Sunrise today . . . . . . . . . .7.45am Sunset today . . . . . . . . . . . .6pm Moon rises today . . . . . .9.52pm Moon sets tomorrow . . . .9.55am DISGRUNTLED relatives of ANC stalwarts have blasted ANC president Jacob Zuma for allegedly fuelling racial hatred while campaigning ahead of next month’s municipal elections.

While on the campaign trail Zuma has questioned the decisions of black people who vote for the DA.

According to Zuma, the DA is a party of white people and only serves the interest of the rich.

“Even the FF+ won’t make comments or do things like that. Why is Jacob Zuma playing the dangerous race card?” asked Ghaleb Cachalia, who is standing as the DA’s Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate.

Cachalia is the son of ANC veterans Yusuf and Amina Cachalia.

Others unhappy with Zuma’s comments were Lindela Tshwete, eldest son of Struggle hero Steve Tshwete, a former sports minister and Madoda Mbeki, a close relative of former president Thabo Mbeki and his brother Moeletsi Mbeki.

While Zuma’s comments appeared to have gone unnoticed within the ANC ranks, the three, all of whom are DA members, suggested Zuma was spitting in the face of former president Nelson Mandela.

They were jointly addressing the media in Rosebank in Joburg yesterday and expressed their disgust at Zuma’s electioneering strategy.

Tshwete is a proportional list candidate for the DA in the City of Cape Town while Mbeki is a ward candidate for the DA in Mnquma Local Municipality in Butterworth in the Eastern Cape.

Tshwete said: “This dangerous campaigning must be seen for what it is – desperation to cling on to power at all costs, because the ANC doesn’t have a plan to create jobs, stop corruption and deliver better services.

“The sad truth is that the ANC is no longer the party of Nelson Mandela, and no longer the party our parents and families brought us up in.

“Zuma has directly contradicted and undermined Nelson Mandela, who fought for freedom for all South Africans to choose who they vote for. He should be ashamed of himself,” Tshwete said.

Alleging Zuma was divisive, he said: “To divide our nation along racial lines is to take us back to the darkest and most deplorable parts of our history.”

“United we are strong, but divided by Jacob Zuma we are at risk of fracturing our nation.

“This shows that the ANC cannot be trusted to take South Africa forward,” Tshwete said.

The disgruntled former ANC members agreed allegations of corruption against Zuma and the R247 million security upgrades at his Nkandla home had helped them decide to quit the ruling party.

Mbeki said: “We have left the ANC because it no longer has the best interests of South Africa at heart. Leaving the party our families worked and struggled in was a very serious decision, but it was a decision we each made because the ANC cannot be trusted to take South Africa forward.”

Cachalia was equally scathing about Zuma, saying: “This country is plagued by issues of race.

“To use the racial epithet to divide the people is to play a dangerous game. It is against the values of the ANC.”

baldwin.ndaba@inl.co.za