The ANC has remained mum over former president Jacob Zuma who used his address at the weekend to attack President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Addressing members of the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party at Pietermaritzburg’s YMCA hall at the weekend, Zuma said South Africans have allowed themselves to be led by a criminal, a spy and a sellout.
He questioned why South Africans have remained silent while Ramaphosa escapes being held accountable for his Phala Phala farm scandal.
Zuma accused those gathered at the YMCA of being cowards, saying he wishes Shaka Zulu could wake up for six months so that he could deal with the cowards who are not speaking out while the country burns.
“Why have you kept quiet after hearing that your president was found with huge sums of stolen money at his farm, and admitted to having kept stolen dollar?
“No, I am asking why are you quiet ... Why did you keep quiet also when the president confessed in front of a commission that he bought his position as ANC president with big money?” Zuma said.
Again Zuma questioned those gathered why they have not been calling for the president to step down amid so many accusations against him.
“He did admit that he bought his position. So why have you not spoken out. Why keep quiet when McKenzie says the president is a spy of the CIA? He even challenged him to go to court. He did not deny this.
“Some of you heard Terror Lekota, he told the nation that he is a spy and sold them out in prison. This is the same person who is leading you.
“Why did you not speak when he said the ANC is the most corrupt political party”, Zuma asked MK party supporters.
Some members of the ANC were sceptical even when Ramaphosa rose within the ranks, he said.
“There are people in the ANC who were not sure of his membership. You allow yourself to be led by such a person.
“My comrades, please take yourselves out of poverty. No one can remove you from this mess when you do not do it yourselves.
“Maybe when we start campaigning, they will start with me again. I am ready for them to provoke me. I will expose those for who they really are.
“I suffered for this freedom and went to jail for 10 years. After that I was exiled for 14 years. It was through this that we are now able to voice our displeasure with those in power,” he said.
On Saturday, Ramaphosa who was not as direct as Zuma in his January 8 speech, said some political parties were acting as more radical than the ANC when in fact they are snakes.
“We have seen agents who are opposed to the transformative agenda. These are the real snakes that want to bite the ANC.
“They are masquerading as agents of change while in fact they have a common cause with those opposed to transformation.
“Their agenda is to deprive the ANC from having state power and they are opposed to transformation and the ANC’s democratic agenda,” Ramaphosa said.
However, the ANC has not addressed Zuma’s most recent vitriolic accusations against Ramaphosa.
Attempts to source comment from the ANC were not successful by the time of going to print.
The Star