Port Elizabeth - Counting itself among 20 organisations that endorsed the ANC stalwarts' statement of support for Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordan, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation on Friday also lambasted the "fightback" against President Cyril Ramaphosa from within his party.
"We, the undersigned organisations, endorse the statement released this week by a group of ANC stalwarts and veterans expressing dismay at the attacks levelled at Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan,.
"We call on other organisations and stalwarts of the liberation movement to similarly express support for the statement," the Foundation said..
Entitled Eskom and the Assault on the President: An end game, the statement said that the onslaught against Gordhan is, in essence, directed at President Cyril Ramaphosa.
"These attacks are being driven by proponents of the state capture ‘fightback’, and are a designed to ultimately “bring about the removal of a president committed to rehabilitating the country’s institutions and eliminating corruption,” it said.
"It highlights that the crises at numerous state-owned enterprises (SOEs), particularly Eskom, cannot be attributed to Minister Gordhan, but to years of looting and mismanagement at these institutions, perpetuated, supported or covered up by many of those now calling for Gordhan’s removal."
The statement raises concern over the impractical call that Eskom be transferred to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy at a time of institutional instability, the Foundation said.
"The group of veterans have articulated what is behind the sustained attacks against Minister Gordhan and what is at stake for the country.
"Minister Gordhan continues to serve as a bulwark against corruption and looting. If the President succumbs to pressure to remove him from office, he will be giving in to those who don’t want state capture to come to an end and who don’t want to see reform.
"This will ultimately destroy what little institutional functionality exists at key SOEs."
The Foundation called on Ramaphosa, the ANC and all who opposed state capture, including political and labour organisations, to stand firm against "the demands of those hell-bent on continuing the state capture project" and who sought to use Eskom's crises for their narrow political and self-interests".
"We further call on President Ramaphosa and Parliament to not give in to threats by the EFF to disrupt the State of the Nation address should Minister Gordhan remain in office."
The veterans’ statement referred to a ‘convergence’ or ‘unity’ of individuals and organisations, who ultimately wanted to derail President Ramaphosa’s attempts to rebuild the state, it said.
"Given the media exposés about the alleged involvement of some within the EFF around, for instance, the VBS scandal, it is unsurprising that they have found common cause with proponents of the state capture project within the ANC.
"We urge business, civil society and all South Africans to continue resisting what is clearly a renewed wave of attack by networks leading the state capture ‘fightback’.
"We will not allow the gains that we have collectively made in defeating state capture over the last few years to be undone."
The organisations that endorsed the veterans' statement are:
- Ahmed Kathrada Foundation
- Alipur Muslim Association
- Association of Muslim Schools
- Business Leadership South Africa
- Centre for Strategic Management of Critical Leadership
- Congress of Business and Economics
- Group of victims of State Capture at the South African Revenue Service
- Gujarati Network of South Africa
- Johannesburg Against Injustice
- Jiss Foundation NPC
- Johannesburg Institute of Social Services
- Legal Resources Centre
- Movement for Universal Justice
- Merebank Justice Network
- Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse
- Patriotic Movement
- South African Leadership Initiative
- Teddy Bear Foundation
- Training, Education and Management (TEAM)
- Via Christi Community Church