Durban – Events in BRICS countries, especially those in Brazil that have led to calls for regime change, were part of a liberal offensive that aimed to unseat the African National Congress’s hold on power, the party’s KwaZulu-Natal provincial secretary Super Zuma claimed on Wednesday.
Super Zuma, who is no relative of President Jacob Zuma, said that the party’s Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) had come to the conclusion that “the developments in Latin America, particularly in Brazil – which are characterised by calls for regime change – constitutes a broader liberal offensive against BRICS countries”.
The #ZumaMustFall movement was part of the agenda to unseat the ANC, he said. “It started with fees must fall, it goes to ‘a particular minister must fall’, it goes to Zuma must fall, it goes to ANC must fall; it’s all part of the agenda,” he said. “The agenda is taking place internally and externally.”
He said the PEC had reached this conclusion after it had received a “detailed political overview” from provincial chairman Sihle Zikalala last week.
Speaking at a press briefing at the party’s provincial headquarters, Zuma said that “a departure from Western domination and the economic hegemony of South Africa’s former oppressors and imperialists have led counter-revolutionary forces to undermine South Africa’s democracy”.
Asked by journalists as to what proof he had regarding such an agenda, Zuma said that behaviour was all the proof that was needed.
“[This is politics], you can’t prove a political agenda. But the proof is through actions and behaviour of a particular organisation, of a particular people within the society. That can be proof. You will see the behaviour, that it is trying to undermine the democratic processes through organising or through a call for removing someone by arms,” he said.
“There is a broader liberal offensive agenda against BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) countries. Our country and the movement are also at the receiving end of this counter-revolutionary agenda to change government through undemocratic means,” said Zuma.
KZN PEC member, Nomagugu Simelane-Zulu, who was also present at the briefing, said: “The fact that South Africa – through president Zuma – got into BRICS, clearly indicated to the Western forces that there is a shift towards the approach of South Africa, and that can never make anyone happy, particularly people who benefited from South Africa having to go and borrow money from IMF or the World Bank.”
“Now, when you move to BRICS, it means you are then shifting away from those institutions. Therefore, we are very clear sitting here today that the agenda that comes is an agenda that is outside funded using people who are within the country, but also people who come from outside to come and [take advantage of] some of our challenges and weaknesses as a third world country.
“[The same people] who have clearly indicated in the past that they are not happy with the route and the agenda that we are starting to take as South Africa moving forward,” she said.
Simelane-Zulu said “the issue” of #FeesMustFall was “very clear”, and compared it to the beginning stages of the so-called Arab Spring uprising that started in Tunisia in 2010 and spread throughout the Arab world. “This is how these issues [in the Arab world] started,” she said, by using weaknesses of the state to instill regime change because democratic processes cannot be used.
“We are in a struggle to build a national democratic society which represents something that is completely contrary to the agenda of our ideological enemies who are found here and beyond the borders of our country,” said Zuma.
“South Africa, under the leadership of the ANC, will and must continue to be a gateway for genuine economic development pursued in the best interests of our people, Africans in particular,” said Zuma.
Zuma said the PEC called on President Zuma and his cabinet to “remain resolute” and continue strengthening relationships with countries that supported South Africa’s liberation struggle.
He said that the provincial ANC was fully behind the president, and that any “attack” on Jacob Zuma was an attack on the ANC.
That being said, Zuma said the party was ready to contest the upcoming local government elections.
He said that party’s provincial list committee had concluded all regional list conferences which would determine who represents the party at the elections.
Zuma said that there “were still pockets of concerns and complaints in some few wards which the Provincial List Committee is seized with for resolution”.
“It is our considered view that the selection process has gone very well except in few areas that require more attention of the movement,” he said.
African News Agency
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