Former South Africa president Jacob Zuma has written a mind blowing open letter to his successor, Cyril Ramaphosa, criticizing the current president for a letter he had written to ANC members about corruption.
“I cannot, in good conscience, attribute the weak state of our movement to you only. All of us, as leaders must take responsibility without blaming our members. Maybe, Mr. President, this is the opportune time to tell our members whether during the so-called “nine wasted years” any of your companies ever did business with the government (national or provincial) while you were Deputy President of our movement and the country.
This would help you, Mr President, to dispel this unfortunate allegation, sometimes, directed at you. It is Individuals from the ANC who must bury their heads in shame, not the ANC, our Glorious Movement.
Mr. President, the ANC, and the entire anti-apartheid movement always faced the threat of infiltration. At different times, during our struggle, our movement discovered spies and enemy agents, commonly called, Izimpimpi, within its ranks.
However, not once was the ANC ever accused of selling out merely because there were sell-outs within its ranks. Those individuals faced the charges leveled against them and could not ask the ANC, as you do in your letter, to stand in their place as Accused No. 1 for their individual actions. It is cold comfort that later in your letter you attempt to say that you are not accusing every ANC member.
It is clear that indeed you do accuse each and every member and the ANC itself for the crimes of a few deployed in the structures of the state, who may be abusing resources and betraying the revolution and the ANC itself for the crimes of a few deployed in the structures of the state, who may be abusing resources and betraying the revolution.
Mr. President, It appears that it has become your hallmark since our 54th National Conference to divert accusations from yourself rather than to face them and clear your name. Mr. President, you currently stand accused of having received almost R1bn in donations from White Monopoly Capital just to win an internal ANC contest.
The ANC has repeatedly decried this phenomenon as something foreign to its culture, policies, and constitution. We all know that such donations amounted to sacrificing the historic mission of the ANC for 30 pieces of silver.
Worse still, and as a matter of fact, and with some unsurprising help from the Judgment of the North Gauteng High Court, you have sealed the record reflecting your generous donors in order for the public and ordinary members of the ANC you lead never to know the identities of those who funded your campaign to win the Presidency of our glorious movement and consequently ascend to the highest office in our land. You have done this, knowing full well that the ANC has discouraged and decried the role of money in its internal elections.
This, in my view, represents a major betrayal of those who voted for you with no knowledge that their vote was going to be enhanced by the WMC donors.
Until you, Mr President and your National Executive Committee come clean to the ordinary members of our movement, your letters and statements will be construed as your attempts to appease those who, by their ill-gotten riches, catapulted you into the position you hold in our movement. In fact, your own spokesperson stands accused of the very corruption you decry in your letter. Your own son stands accused of the same allegations. Yet, you seek to divert attention from your own office and your household as you attribute the crime of PPE corruption to the ordinary ANC members. Mr President, it maybe you that should hang your head in shame and not the members of the ANC. Mr President, the ANC is not guilty of corruption, but the individuals within the ANC are accused of corruption. Mongameli, masinganindi uMbutho Wabantu Ngobende Inyama Bengayidlanga.
Mr President, your letter further pays lip-service to the resolutions of the ANC’s 54th National Conference, when in actual fact, our movement, under your leadership has been avoiding implementing resolutions on land expropriation, nationalization of the SA Reserve Bank, radical economic transformation (RET), free higher education, job creation and poverty eradication, to mention but a few.
Mr President, it would be a colossal reversal of our democratic gains if you are placing the ANC as Accused number 1. This sounds like a public relations exercise and a grand scheme that does not help to build and promote the ANC. It would be such a pity, Mr President, if under your watch, the ANC can be accused by its own leaders, instead of nurturing
Mr President, under your watch, the tendency, not to implement certain recommendations and decisions has been a worrying factor. For instance, a Provincial Conference held in the EC in 2017, was referred to by yourself as the Festival of Chairs. There were many accusations in the Eastern Cape. The National Leadership, having received reports and complaints, took a decision to establish a Commission to investigate the conference.
It was termed, Sbu Ndebele Commission as it was led by one of our senior comrades, Sbusiso Ndebele. That Commission made specific recommendations. It appears that when the report was tabled, the leadership only noted the recommendations and took no action per the findings and recommendations, but simply noted the report. The Report continues to gather dust in Luthuli House.
Mr President, I plead with you and the entire NEC of our movement, to reflect on the issues I have raised, including the issue of corruption. I implore you to take responsibility without insulting our movement and its members, who have committed no crime of corruption as they sit waiting for the ever elusive better life for all.
Mr President, I hope my letter will be received in the constructive spirit in which it is written. I hope that our structures will get the opportunity to discuss the issues I raise. I make no claim that these are the only challenges facing our movement, or that I possess the exclusive wisdom to suggest how they should be dealt with. I am merely making a plea to our movement and our leaders to honestly confront the challenges it faces and the challenges faced by African people in our country.
YOURS COMRADELY
JACOB GEDLEYIHLEKISA MHLANGANYELWA ZUMA
Photo Credit: Getty
