The African National Congress women’s league president and Minister for Social Development Bathabile Dlamini urged dissenting members of the party to honour their conscience and leave before they were purged.
Dlamini said this as fissures of disunity in the party were seemingly deepening, and in the aftermath of some of its members of parliament voting with opposition parties against the leadership of President Jacob Zuma.
Read: Dlamini-Zuma appeals for unity and discipline
This was at a Nkosaza Dlamini-Zuma campaign rally attended by Dlamini-Zuma, members of the youth, student and women’s leagues, and members of the Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans Association at the Alex stadium. Dlamini endorsed the candidature of Dlamini-Zuma who was present, for the position of party president at the ANC’s elective congress in December.
“Unlike others, she [Dlamini-Zuma] is a disciplined party member with struggle credentials essential for the position. Those who voted with the opposition in a motion of no confidence in President Zuma should honour their conscience and leave the party,” she said adding that they would be removed if they didn’t do so voluntarily.
The youth league secretary Njabulu Nzuza waded in saying the youth supported Dlamini-Zuma for her student activism, impeccable struggle credentials, and ministerial and continental leadership positions. In addition, they would support her candidacy for her commitment to radical economic transformation which was necessary to ending poverty and disparity in wealth between the poor in Alex and the rich in Sandton. He urged the dissenters who alleged rampant corruption and state capture under Zuma’s watch, to press charges with the relevant authorities. “It’s an attempt by sellouts to deflect against the transformation agenda,” he said of the allegations.
Read: Dlamini-Zuma appeals for unity and discipline
Carl Niehaus of the veterans association castigated white monopoly capital saying it would be tackled through a policy proposal to return the land and its riches stolen from Africans through colonisation. “Legislation will reverse the disparity and end poverty, racism and ensure economic liberation,” he said. “It’s time for a woman like Dlamini-Zuma with leadership qualities like her other predecessors, to lead the party in this process.”
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