Members of the African National Congress (ANC) who left the party to form the Congress of the People (Cope) feel vindicated “seven years down the line”.
“Many of us who were at the ANC conference in Polokwane in 2007 protested very loudly that the ANC was taking a wrong turn in trusting the leadership of the liberation movement to President Jacob Zuma”‚ said Cope spokeperson Dennis Bloem on Wednesday.
“Accusations of criminal activities were stacked up against him. Supporting him was not possible.
“We were accused‚ however‚ of being counter-revolutionaries when in fact we wanted to keep the moral base of the party secure.”
Bloem noted recent revelations about the Gupta family’s alleged influence over Zuma‚ saying it “it was ironic that we now have Zupta emerging as a new characterisation of the ANC leader of today” considering that ANC leaders called us ‘dogs’ and ‘cockroaches’ ”.
“In 2008‚ many of us resigned from the ANC‚ painful as it was‚ to form the Congress of the People‚” he said.
“We did so to keep alive the dreams of the Freedom Charter and to make the Constitution work for a better tomorrow for every citizen.”
Seven years later‚ Bloem opined “many senior and ordinary members and leaders of the ANC and its alliance partners are conceding that we were right and that they were wrong”.
That‚ over the past few days‚ “prominent foundations such as the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation‚ the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation…openly started to raise their concerns about political developments” makes Cope members “feel vindicated by the stance we took and the warnings we gave out about Zuma”.
“Cope encourages other leaders to see the truth for what it is and to distance themselves from the toxic contagion of the ANC leadership‚” said Bloem.
“Now is the time for activist citizens and young intellectuals to rise to the fore and help steer South Africa in the direction it should have been going. Now is the time to rescue the country from those who have been capturing it for their own selfish ends.”
Cope’s former ANC members feel vindicated by growing displeasure over Zuma
“Many of us who were at the ANC conference in Polokwane in 2007 protested very loudly that the ANC was taking a wrong turn in trusting the leadership of the liberation movement to President Jacob Zuma”‚ said Cope spokeperson Dennis Bloem on Wednesday.
“Accusations of criminal activities were stacked up against him. Supporting him was not possible.
“We were accused‚ however‚ of being counter-revolutionaries when in fact we wanted to keep the moral base of the party secure.”
Bloem noted recent revelations about the Gupta family’s alleged influence over Zuma‚ saying it “it was ironic that we now have Zupta emerging as a new characterisation of the ANC leader of today” considering that ANC leaders called us ‘dogs’ and ‘cockroaches’ ”.
“In 2008‚ many of us resigned from the ANC‚ painful as it was‚ to form the Congress of the People‚” he said.
“We did so to keep alive the dreams of the Freedom Charter and to make the Constitution work for a better tomorrow for every citizen.”
Seven years later‚ Bloem opined “many senior and ordinary members and leaders of the ANC and its alliance partners are conceding that we were right and that they were wrong”.
That‚ over the past few days‚ “prominent foundations such as the Oliver and Adelaide Tambo Foundation‚ the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation…openly started to raise their concerns about political developments” makes Cope members “feel vindicated by the stance we took and the warnings we gave out about Zuma”.
“Cope encourages other leaders to see the truth for what it is and to distance themselves from the toxic contagion of the ANC leadership‚” said Bloem.
“Now is the time for activist citizens and young intellectuals to rise to the fore and help steer South Africa in the direction it should have been going. Now is the time to rescue the country from those who have been capturing it for their own selfish ends.”
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