Pietermaritzburg – KwaZulu-Natal African National Congress chairman Senzo Mchunu lashed out at opposition parties during the ANC’s provincial conference on Friday.
The Inkatha Freedom Party was “faltering under the laager of conservatism”, the National Freedom Party was unable to remain cohesive, the Democratic Alliance was “characterised by parasitic politics”, and the Economic Freedom Fighters played on the emotions and aspirations of people, he told the about 1300 delegates at the three-day conference.
Mchunu said the IFP was operating on the periphery. “This is a party that has lost relevance. However, we need not completely dismiss it as a spent force.
“With regard to the NFP, the instability within has meant that it has found it difficult to remain cohesive. This has opened up space for other parties, including the IFP, to win back some of the support they had lost. In simple terms, it has failed to run a mile and is fast approaching its end. It is now grazing in the shade,” he said.
Despite the DA’s “efforts of seeking power by deploying black people into strategic positions, this has not yielded meaningful results. In reality they can never change what they are, which is characterised by parasitic politics of parading black people while unashamedly [promoting] the agenda of the privileged.”
He said the DA was the ANC’s foremost opponent “because of its ability to weaken the hegemony we currently enjoy”. The ANC strategy for the 2016 local government elections needed to take into account the threat posed by the DA.
The EFF “plays populist and confrontational politics.”
“The biggest danger that it poses is that it has no qualms playing on the emotions and aspirations of our people. It nonetheless represents a new dynamic in our landscape.”
Citing ancient Chinese general and military strategist Sun Tzu, Mchunu said it was important to “know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster”.
African News Agency
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