Zuma invokes 'wrath of ancestors' to dissuade members from leaving ANC

Asanda Nini

PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma yesterday warned disgruntled ANC members who leave the party when things do not go their way they would attract the "wrath of the ancestors".

Unveiling the party's provincial manifesto at the Dutywa Stadium in the Transkei, Zuma said: "It is wrong to leave the ANC. In fact, it is cold and rough outside the ANC.

"People must remain in the party and try to fix things internally because those who do leave will attract the wrath of the ancestors who will also bring that person bad luck," Zuma said

The party was determined to root out tender corruption, address medicine prices and resolve the land issue.

Zuma said this as the ANC welcomed back more than 100 members who had defected from the United Democratic Movement (UDM) and the Congress of the People (COPE).

Among them were former COPE MPL Nkosinathi Kuluta and the party's former provincial communications head Nkosifikile Gqomo, who both left the ruling party after its watershed 2008 elective conference in Polokwane.

Zuma said corruption was one of the party and government's biggest enemies.

In a bid to fight and eliminate corruption in government, the ANC was in the process of doing away with the tendering process.

"These tenders are the root of corruption in our government. They have messed up our country.

"We are aiming at centralising the tendering process through what we call the central tender board," Zuma said.

He urged those in the ANC and government who had been implicated in corruption "to do the right thing and resign before we, as the ANC, do something about you".

He told the packed stadium with an estimated 35000 people the ruling party would make it a priority to fight high medicine prices "from pharmaceutical [companies] who only care about profit and neglect poor people's lives".

Many people, especially in rural areas, were denied access to decent healthcare because of high prices charged by pharmaceutical companies, he said.

The party's election manifesto was coherent and achievable, he said to loud cheers.

Zuma also told supporters his government was "fighting tooth and nail" to address the land issue, which he said was still in the hands of the select few and not to the benefit of the majority of indigents.

"All our problems such as poverty and underdevelopment are a result of the 1913 Land Act and we will never stop pursuing the issue of the land," Zuma said.