Johannesburg – The wife of late ANC stalwart Ahmed Kathrada has expressed anger at the current political crisis in the country and the manner in which President Jacob Zuma has conducted himself just a day after Kathrada's funeral.
Barbara Hogan, a former minister of Public Enterprise, addressed the media on Thursday afternoon at the Nelson Mandela Foundation alongside the organisation's CEO Sello Hatang and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation CEO Neeshan Balton.
Hogan said in light of President's Jacob Zuma's decision to fire ministers and postpone her partner's memorial service indefinitely, the two events and many incidents were a course for her to speak up.
It emerged that Hogan and the Foundation had not been consulted by the Presidency in its decision to halt the service.
Hogan implores "good" ministers not to vacate their positions or resign #cabinetreshuffle @IOL
— Noni Mokati (@Noni_M2) March 31, 2017
"Let me say that last night when the news (about the reshuffling) began to filter through... many of us on the front lines began to doubt that a commemoration under the auspice of a President who has clearly defied his own party and when a deputy President clearly says the removal of the Finance Minister and his deputy based on a dubious intelligence report is wrong ... When you have the Secretary General of the ANC saying loudly and clearly that the list of ministers replaced and taken out did not come from the ANC... What does that mean to us? It means the President is not applying himself in making decisions on the most critical issues in our country, " Hogan said.
She added the reshuffle was an indictment on Zuma especially when his own party rejects him.
Hogan: What those MPs experience time and time again is humiliation. There comes a time when you can no longer be silent #CabinetReshuffle
— Noni Mokati (@Noni_M2) March 31, 2017
Hogan labeled the cabinet reshuffle and the anger against it as a defining moment in the history of SA and said it was time good ministers in Cabinet as well as civil servants speak up.
Hogan calls on everyone not to remain silent but to speak up #Cabinetreshuffle #AhmedKathradaMemorial @IOL
— Noni Mokati (@Noni_M2) March 31, 2017
Balton meanwhile said the Foundation in the midst of the anniversary in which Kathrada wrote a letter to Zuma asking him to step down, they would not shy away from correcting the ruling party.
He said they would join the increasing resistance against corruption and injustices.
Balton: We have not canvased any ANC MPs on how they should vote... When the ANC does wrong we will act against ANC #Cabinetreshuffle @IOL
— Noni Mokati (@Noni_M2) March 31, 2017 Balton also added that with support from the SA Communist Party and other organizations, the Foundation will host a memorial service for Kathrada on Saturday, April 1, at the Joburg City Hall.
The service is expected to start at 2pm.