Johannesburg - Former ANC Nelson Mandela Bay chairperson Andile Lungisa has lashed out at leaders who turned Ahmed Kathrada’s funeral into a spectacle of “factional pornography and grandstanding”.
Lungisa is viewed as part of a group within the ANC wanting former AU Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to succeed President Jacob Zuma when he steps down as ANC leader in December.
If elected, she could possibly become the country’s president in 2019.
Lungisa, who was asked to step down as ANC leader in Nelson Mandela Bay, said: “It was heartbreaking to see the funeral of this revolutionary colossal and servant of our people being turned into factional pornography and grandstanding by otherwise honourable leaders that I have great respect for.”
At the funeral, held at Westpark Cemetery in Joburg on Wednesday, former president Kgalema Motlanthe received rapturous applause when he read out Kathrada’s letter calling on Zuma to step down.
Lungisa called on his comrades to honour the Struggle stalwart by unifying the ruling party, saying the white monopoly capital “understand that our our potent currency is unity, and work hard to create a siege climate around our organisation. We must honour comrade Kathrada through unity of the ANC and a spirit of service to our people”.
The former leader of the ANC Youth League and National Youth Development Agency described Kathrada as the embodiment of the national democratic revolution.
Kathrada died in hospital on Tuesday after contracting pneumonia following surgery to remove a blood clot on his brain earlier this month.
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