The veterans of the African National Congress have added their voices to the growing chorus, including that of party alliance partners, calling for the resignation of President Jacob Zuma.
In a statement on 4 April, the veterans say the President has clearly crossed many lines of what was expected of him as a senior member of the party. They attributed the country’s current woes to Zuma’s corrupt and nepotistic relationship with some party members with business interests, whom they said did not care about the plight of the masses and the nation.
They called the relationship unacceptable, self-serving and one that made the President make decisions which mocked the party oath, conflicted with the party’s high standards of unselfish service and, further, denigrated the respect and overwhelming electoral support given to the party by the citizens, and the expectation of the Constitution.
Their criticism of Zuma was said to be in keeping with the party’s tradition of frank and honest evaluations of an economic crisis facing the country and the party, and one which impacted the most vulnerable, daily. The statement said his actions brought factionalism, corruption and nepotism which contradict party values held dear by his predecessors, Luthuli, Tambo, and Mandela.
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They committed to contributing to the party’s National Consultative Conference, fully aware of the prevailing undemocratic efforts by his cohorts that would want to derail attempts to confront corruption.
The call was said to be amplified by ones already made by the late party stalwart Ahmed Kathrada, the South African Communist Party, Congress of South African Trade Unions and Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans’ Association and came after a decision by the party’s integrity committee.
The veterans were also scathing of Zuma’s absence at the funeral and failure to console Kathrada’s family, saying this was not in keeping with party tradition. His recent reshuffling of the cabinet at the time of the funeral was taken as a further sign of disrespect to a legend of the party.
His dismissal of competent ministers while promoting or retaining ministers found incompetent by Parliament and the Constitutional Court was also condemned by the veterans as contradicting the party’s deployment tradition and practice which required leaders to consult before making major decisions. They called his move an act of individuals who believed they stood above country, communities and the party.
Details: Mpho Mosimane: mosimanemk@gmail.com 083 222 2327; Thami Ntenteni ntentenith@gmail.com 083 256 3586.
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