Former president Jacob Zuma. Picture: Doctor Ngcobo Independent Newspapers
Former ANC president Jacob Zuma has remain steadfast that he will neither campaign nor vote for the ANC in the general elections next year.
This comes after the ANC’s Veterans League (ANCVL) accused Zuma of de-campaigning the ruling party.
In a media statement this week, the league said the calibre of candidates nominated would be an important factor in helping the ANC remain in power.
On Tuesday, a defiant Zuma addressed an uMkhonto weSizwe party event in Verulam, north of Durban. He told the people to join him as he campaigned for the recently registered political party.
Zuma said South African leaders, including those at the helm of the ruling party, had turned their backs on the citizens and become thieves.
“I will not say much at the moment. I will speak a bit later as we are about to start our election campaign. However, we must exercise discipline and avoid calling out people’s names and insulting them. All we need is for people to convince us on what we need to do for us to be free again. Insults will not help … In politics we do not insult people, we present facts to the people.”
Zuma said the time had come for black people to remove themselves from the shackles of poverty and an uncaring government of the day.
“Black people have suffered for a long time. We suffered during days of slavery, colonialism, apartheid and are still suffering even now. We were colonised by imperial forces. We must not be afraid to fight for our total liberation. What is more disturbing is that black people are the ones who are blocking us from realising our true freedom.”
Zuma said the ANC was no longer the ANC of OR Tambo and other leaders of the party who had sacrificed and fought for freedom. He urged those gathered to act and remove the ANC from power.
“I will speak and tell the nation that this ANC of Ramaphosa is not the one that I know. Our job is to rescue the ANC. In other words, we must remove it from the mud. We will remove it whether they like it or not. The ANC is not owned by a few people; the ANC belongs to the people of South Africa,” he said.
Last week, the ANCVL called for the ruling party to take action against Zuma for breaching its Constitution after declaring support for another party in the elections.
The ANCVL said it was evident who was de-campaigning the ANC. Its president, Snuki Zikalala, said those fingered by the Zondo Commission would not be allowed to campaign or be nominated for positions within the ANC.
“The Zondo Commission said that there were 97 politicians, some of them members of the NEC, who were fingered in state capture and with those 97, five of them have appeared in front of the integrity commission and 92 of them have not.
“So, we’re saying those who were fingered, and did not go to the integrity commission, and did not go to a DC must not be eligible,” said Zikalala.
The Star
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