‘Don’t even think about it, DA’

The DA is not ready to rule South Africa and should not be given the wrong impression that it will ever be the country’s ruling party.

This was said by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Zweli Mkhize in Kirkwood yesterday, where he was speaking at a special regional general council meeting for the Sarah Baartman region.

“They shouldn’t be allowed to think or even imagine they can do it,” he said.

Mkhize, however, also criticised some members of the ANC, saying there were people in the party who created disorder and disunity, sending a negative message and weakening the party.

“We were elected because the African National Congress, led by Walter Sisulu, Nelson Mandela, Moses Mabhida and Joe Slovo, was the only hope for our people and how can we [now] send the impression that the ANC is no longer that hope?

“We have a responsibility to build the ANC and make sure it becomes that instrument that is going to transform South Africa,” he said.

Mkhize was accompanied by Eastern Cape provincial legislature speaker Noxolo Kiviet, Deputy Energy Minister Thembisile Majola and Sarah Baartman regional secretary Scara Njadayi.
Mkhize said the ANC in the region needed to come up with an implementable strategy to strengthen relations with voters in the Kouga, Beyers Naude and Makana areas as in those areas the party that had won during the municipal elections had done so with just one seat.

“That tells you that the next the time we go to elections, that one councillor could be anyone, it could be on the DA side and not ours.

“Let’s be realists,” he said. “We brought this on ourselves – because in this province we used to be beyond 85% [of votes] in total.”

Without mentioning names, he accused leaders of the ANC of not being driven by the desire to serve but by self-interest and greed.

“These leaders are actually meant to make decisions that change the lives of poor people for the better, instead they change their own lives for the better, and these are some of the issues we need to be critical of as the [ANC],” Mkhize said

Njadayi said it was of utmost importance that the ANC cleanse itself of factions. He called on all councillors and members of the organisation to humble themselves and listen to the masses they lead.

Njadayi said the regional general council was called so ANC structures could consult one another on critical matters of the organisation and the manner in which party members were conducting themselves.

“We must be able to renew and unite the organisation and discuss issues affecting our own people, notably economic patterns of our country, even here,” he said.