JOHANNESBURG: Andrew Mlangeni has accused President Jacob Zuma of killing the South African economy and the ANC.
The former Robben Islander and present chairperson of the party's integrity committee condemned the party's leaders for not forcing the president to resign after the damning Nkandla Constitutional Court judgment.
In an exclusive interview with Cape Times's sister newspaper The Star on Thursday, the Struggle stalwart said it pained him seeing the party persisting on a path of self-destruction by failing to rein in corrupt leaders.
He was initially reluctant to speak about the ANC’s problems openly, maintaining his long-standing stance of only criticising it within the confines of its internal structures.
“You see, for example, (a) large number of groups have approached me on the Nkandla issue. I have rejected them. They say ‘Mlangeni, your colleague (Ahmed) Kathrada and others have spoken and say the president must fall’. They say ‘you are quiet’."
Quizzed further, Mlangeni, the 91-year-old who is one of the three remaining Rivonia triallists along with Kathrada and Denis Goldberg, couldn't hold back his criticism.
“I am saying it (Nkandla issue) could have been handled differently. I think they should have taken a decision and asked him to resign because by not resigning he has killed the organisation and the economy of the country has gone down.”
Amid the calls for Zuma to resign, the NEC said it had accepted Zuma’s apology after he had addressed the nation regarding the Nkandla judgment.
In August, the NEC resolved, after its four-day meeting, to accept “collective responsibility” for the party's disastrous performance in the municipal election, which has largely been blamed on the scandals associated with Zuma.
Mlangeni said the NEC should have realised that persisting with the implementation of e-tolls in Gauteng and the scandals around the Guptas were so damaging that the ANC had “lost 8 percent in the 2014 (national) election”.
“The e-tolls issue made us lose some votes. The Nkandla issue and the Guptas thing, we should have seen that these were going to cost us more… We lost very badly.”
Zuma has applied for an urgent court application to interdict against the release of the report into the so-called state capture involving the Gupta family.
Mlangeni said he was deeply hurt seeing the ANC losing voter support because of self-inflicted mistakes.
“It's hurtful because people stayed away from voting. They say ‘punish the ANC, the ANC must not take us for granted’. If you haven't learnt from that, you will never learn.”
Mlangeni was cagey when asked if the integrity committee was contributing to the problems by not reading the Riot Act to wayward ANC members and leaders.
However, it is understood the committee it was being frustrated by party failures.
A source familiar with the integrity committee's work said: “We are not struggling. We get information, including from the media, where people are involved (in wrongdoing). If, for example, on the issue of corruption, there's evidence that so and so, a member of the organisation, is involved in this and that, we call that person (and say) monna(man) or mme(ma’am), there is this thing about you in the media, what’s your story?
“We don’t just rely on the media. We also do our own investigation. And on the basis of all that, we then take a decision and make a recommendation. But the NGC doesn't implement. They are discouraging us by not implementing our recommendations. That must be corrected,” said the source.
Mlangeni said his wish was to leave the ANC in a good state when he dies. ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said the party would not comment about members criticising the party in public.
“I won’t engage with members who raise issues in public, whether its Uncle Kathy (Kathrada) or Mlangeni.”