Former ANC treasurer-general Mathews Phosa has become the fourth senior governing party leader to seek support from the Eastern Cape branches ahead of the much-anticipated national congress in December.
Following in the footsteps of other leaders – deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, former African Union chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu – Phosa told a crowd of ANC supporters at the NU12 Community Hall in Mdantsane that he would stand as president if nominated by the branches.
Responding to the question, posed by ward 20 councillor Ntombizodwa Gamnca, whether he would contest the party presidency, Phosa said he would do so.
“The comrade is asking me a very difficult question. She wants to know if I’m nominated to be the president of the ANC… I’ll agree to serve as the president of the ANC when the process of the ANC has opened. My answer is very simple: Yes, ngiyavuma ,” he said.
Phosa’s response was met by fervent applause, and a spontaneous struggle song calling on Phosa to lead reverberated throughout the hall.
The event was organised by the Yure Mdyogolo branch, but was also attended by a number of other Dr WB Rubusana (Buffalo City) ANC branches.
Some ANC councillors and regional executive committee (REC) leaders also attended.
The former Mpumalanga premier was in town to deliver the OR Tambo memorial lecture.
Before launching a scathing attack on President Jacob Zuma and his family, Phosa thanked the regional and branch members for having made him “feel at home”.
If OR Tambo were here, Phosa said, “I would tell him that we have a problem; your party has been captured. I’d tell him the truth; I’d tell him the alliance is divided.
“Comrade Vavi and Irvin Jim are gone.
“What happens in the ANC affects the government. I would tell him the party you left united is now divided.”
Phosa added that whoever called for unity in the ANC needed to know that “we won’t unite around corruption and greed”.
“The state is suffering from state capture. I would ask OR Tambo if he knows the Guptas. I know he would say to me ‘who are these Guptas? Where were they when we were struggling?’ They were not there, they don’t even care about us but they are stealing from us every day with the assistance of our own president, Jacob Zuma, and his children,” said Phosa.
He turned his missiles on Ramaphosa, ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe and treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize, accusing them of being cowards.
“We need to stick to the truth. Our people punished us in August . We were begging for power. I was the first person to say Jacob Zuma must go to show us all respect when the Constitutional Court found him to have violated the Constitution. The Guptas are trying to buy South Africa. South Africa is not for sale, the ANC is not for sale.” This comment was also met with loud applause.
He said South African citizens were not junk, it was the political leadership that was junk.
“We have junk leaders,” said Phosa, adding that the ANC national executive committee needed to unite to stop protecting those who were corrupt “including Jacob Zuma, his children and his wives”.
He urged the supporters to unite the ANC, fight corruption and to put corruption-free leaders in power.
Ward 20’s move to pronounce Phosa as their preferred candidate was followed by ward 14, the Charlotte Maxeke ANC women’s league branch, the Phumzile Mshumi women’s league in ward 30 and the Duncan Village Zone in the meeting.
lPresident Zuma has for the first time tacitly and publicly endorsed his ex-wife Dlamini-Zuma to replace him as ANC president.
Zuma spoke glowingly about Dlamini-Zuma’s leadership qualities‚ saying he wished that ANC members could see that they had a leader in her.
“She is bold and you can’t fool her. She is someone you can trust‚” said Zuma‚ who was speaking at the St Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church in Dlamini-Zuma’s birthplace of Bulwer in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands at the weekend. — mamelag@dispatch.co.za, additional reporting by Bongani Mthethwa
I’m also ready to be president says Phosa
Following in the footsteps of other leaders – deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, former African Union chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu – Phosa told a crowd of ANC supporters at the NU12 Community Hall in Mdantsane that he would stand as president if nominated by the branches.
Responding to the question, posed by ward 20 councillor Ntombizodwa Gamnca, whether he would contest the party presidency, Phosa said he would do so.
“The comrade is asking me a very difficult question. She wants to know if I’m nominated to be the president of the ANC… I’ll agree to serve as the president of the ANC when the process of the ANC has opened. My answer is very simple: Yes, ngiyavuma ,” he said.
Phosa’s response was met by fervent applause, and a spontaneous struggle song calling on Phosa to lead reverberated throughout the hall.
The event was organised by the Yure Mdyogolo branch, but was also attended by a number of other Dr WB Rubusana (Buffalo City) ANC branches.
Some ANC councillors and regional executive committee (REC) leaders also attended.
The former Mpumalanga premier was in town to deliver the OR Tambo memorial lecture.
Before launching a scathing attack on President Jacob Zuma and his family, Phosa thanked the regional and branch members for having made him “feel at home”.
If OR Tambo were here, Phosa said, “I would tell him that we have a problem; your party has been captured. I’d tell him the truth; I’d tell him the alliance is divided.
“Comrade Vavi and Irvin Jim are gone.
“What happens in the ANC affects the government. I would tell him the party you left united is now divided.”
Phosa added that whoever called for unity in the ANC needed to know that “we won’t unite around corruption and greed”.
“The state is suffering from state capture. I would ask OR Tambo if he knows the Guptas. I know he would say to me ‘who are these Guptas? Where were they when we were struggling?’ They were not there, they don’t even care about us but they are stealing from us every day with the assistance of our own president, Jacob Zuma, and his children,” said Phosa.
He turned his missiles on Ramaphosa, ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe and treasurer-general Zweli Mkhize, accusing them of being cowards.
“We need to stick to the truth. Our people punished us in August . We were begging for power. I was the first person to say Jacob Zuma must go to show us all respect when the Constitutional Court found him to have violated the Constitution. The Guptas are trying to buy South Africa. South Africa is not for sale, the ANC is not for sale.” This comment was also met with loud applause.
He said South African citizens were not junk, it was the political leadership that was junk.
“We have junk leaders,” said Phosa, adding that the ANC national executive committee needed to unite to stop protecting those who were corrupt “including Jacob Zuma, his children and his wives”.
He urged the supporters to unite the ANC, fight corruption and to put corruption-free leaders in power.
Ward 20’s move to pronounce Phosa as their preferred candidate was followed by ward 14, the Charlotte Maxeke ANC women’s league branch, the Phumzile Mshumi women’s league in ward 30 and the Duncan Village Zone in the meeting.
lPresident Zuma has for the first time tacitly and publicly endorsed his ex-wife Dlamini-Zuma to replace him as ANC president.
Zuma spoke glowingly about Dlamini-Zuma’s leadership qualities‚ saying he wished that ANC members could see that they had a leader in her.
“She is bold and you can’t fool her. She is someone you can trust‚” said Zuma‚ who was speaking at the St Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church in Dlamini-Zuma’s birthplace of Bulwer in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands at the weekend. — mamelag@dispatch.co.za, additional reporting by Bongani Mthethwa
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