Pietermaritzburg - The African National Congress is the only party committed to changing people’s lives while some opposition parties are “hell-bent on chaos”, President Jacob Zuma said on Sunday.
Speaking at the launch of the ANC KwaZulu-Natal August 3 municipal election manifesto at the Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg, Zuma said that despite what others said, the ANC was still committed to improving people’s lives.
He admitted that progress and improvement was not proceeding at the desired pace. Unemployment among young people and the lack of investment were among the main problems the ANC faced. “We understand your pain and frustration. We will face and defeat all our challenges.”
In an apparent reference to the Economic Freedom Fighters, he said: “There are organisations that are just hell-bent on creating chaos and being disrespectful. Do you really think that such organisations can make a difference in your life?”
Zuma accused other parties of being led by “chancers” who saw public office as a way of getting a job.
“There are people who decide to form political parties because of their unemployment. And they look at forming political parties to address their unemployment status. Look out for those (people),” he said. “Position jostling individuals” should not be trusted.
On the internal battles within the ANC over the nominations for candidates, he said those who had been unsuccessful should not despair and should remain loyal to the ANC. Contests among party members reflected democracy and called for cool heads, not killing each other.
“There are seasoned individuals who lost in other election processes but they have remained in the ANC and now they are leading. This is not a crisis but it is democracy in action. We are all comrades, not enemies,” Zuma said.
Earlier, Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) president Sdumo Dlamini made a similar plea, saying no amount of dissatisfaction over the nomination of candidates for the elections warranted the killing of ANC members.
“No amount of contestation should result in an end of life. We hope that after this comrades will heed the call to accept the outcome of the (elections) list process,” he said.
On Wednesday evening, ANC ward 12 members Badedile Tshapa, 56, and Phetheni Ngubane, 50, were shot at as they returned from a branch election team meeting at Mehlokazulu High School. Tshapa died on the scene while Ngubane died in hospital on Thursday.
The killings came barely a week after Nathi Hlongwa, ANC branch chairman for ward 12 in the Msunduzi local municipality, was shot dead.
The ward has seen protests over the nomination of candidates for the elections and last week a number of ANC members marched on the party’s regional offices in Pietermaritzburg to demand that the leadership intervene in the candidate selection process.
A day before Hlongwa was killed, a council official from the same ANC region was killed in an apparent ambush. Simo Mncwabe, who had resigned as chief financial officer in Mpofana municipality (Mooi River), also died in a hail of bullets, near Henley Dam outside Pietermaritzburg.
Three people have been arrested in connection with the killings.
Dlamini said Cosatu would continue supporting the ANC as its alliance partner, as have the other alliance partners the South African Communist Party and the South African National Civic Organisation.
Thousands of party faithful from all parts of KwaZulu-Natal braved the cold weather and flocked to the 12 000-seat stadium for the event. Security both within and outside the venue was tight, including a police helicopter constantly hovering above the venue.
Among those present were ANC treasurer general Zweli Mkhize, ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini and ANC Youth League deputy president Desmond Moeli.
ANA