Durban - The founding secretary of Cosatu and a former minister in Nelson Mandela’s cabinet, Jay Naidoo, said the people needed to reclaim their power from the leaders.
Addressing the Kendra Business Forum in Durban on Tuesday night, Naidoo said it was “time to reclaim that power” and slammed the ANC, saying it had lost its moral compass.
“When a system gets corrupt at the top, what does it inspire at the bottom? It’s about me, my dreams, it’s about my individualism, it’s about my success. That’s something we’ve lost, success being success of the community, solidarity and praying for my neighbour, I think that’s where we’ve got to revert to as society and take some tough stands.
“We have given up our power to leaders, it is time to reclaim our power and that cannot be done by sitting at a conference like this. It’s about what can we do to go back to where we were before,” he said.
Naidoo hit out at the business elite and said it was dangerous that 16 people were wealthier than a combined 60% of the population.
“Inequality will create a future I fear the most. We have 16 individuals that have more wealth than 60% of the population, it is unsustainable. Why do you want to have so much money, how many more yachts, houses and cars can one have?
“We have a system that creates inequality, it is unjust.”
He said there had always been divisions in the ANC as it was a broad church.
“But the ANC always had a vision of a united, democratic, non-sexist society that serves the interest of the people, not the leaders, that’s the ANC I know.”
Naidoo said the ANC had lost the moral compass it stood for in the struggle.
“The real ANC needs to stand up and say this is wrong… We need you to speak truth to power, be fearless and courageous. If we don’t do that, violence erupts and becomes a language because people have given up hope. We have to find a way to have a conversation and listen to young people,” he said.
Former UDF activist, Professor Jerry Coovadia, slammed the ANC and said everything it had touched had collapsed – listing schools and universities.
“The ANC, which we fought for, now cannot be trusted. They have touched education and it is destroyed, touched the economy and it is corrupt… you look at all the universities and almost that too is gone. No matter how much I look into the mirror, no matter how deeply I feel, and I do feel… it is really overwhelming to live in the midst of so much corruption,” he said.