Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says ‘we don’t yet have the economy’

Presidential hopeful and former chairperson of the African Union Commission Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has said that “power is not just the vote, parliament” and other parts of government … it could be found primarily in controlling the economy.

ANC Women’s League leader Bathabile Dlamini had introduced Dlamini-Zuma by openly campaigning for her to be the next president.

Dlamini-Zuma, in a long and informal talk, said that the ANC was not properly in control of the economy yet. She estimated that the ANC only had 20% of the power available in South Africa, because the economy was the other 80%, and this was not being controlled by the ANC.

Dlamini-Zuma said that the ANC had done a lot of good since 1994, which needed to be acknowledged, but “we have not done enough on the economy”.

She said “radical economic transformation” would be required and black people would need to ascend to the commanding heights of the economy.

Speaking at the ANC cadres’ meeting in Sasolburg, Free State, she called for unity in the ANC and obliquely referenced the protests against President Jacob Zuma, saying that these protests were being led by “former oppressors”, meaning that the ANC’s current leadership needed to be rallied around and supported.

Dlamini-Zuma also expressed support for new finance minister Malusi Gigaba. It was necessary to create changes in the finance ministry and the financial sector as a whole, she charged, which could only come through radical steps.

She had earlier criticised the DA for thinking it could run the country “through the streets and the courts”. But the only way it could take over would be through winning the vote, which she advised would be difficult against “this glorious movement of Oliver Tambo”.

She also accused universities of teaching students that South Africa was not a democracy, but a one-party state.

“They are taught it will only be a democracy when the opposition takes over,” she said, to exclamations of shock from her audience.