Steenhuisen vowed in his first speech as DA leader that he would stop any “doomsday coalition” between the ANC and the EFF. He went on to announce the “moonshot pact” to which all parties bar the EFF would be invited as a way to negate an ANC-EFF marriage.
That this intention had been realised through the ANC-led GNU was worrying, said Shivambu.
“But one thing that we must be concerned about as black people — as progressive forces, as parties and political movements that associate with the liberation heritage — is we have a Helen Zille, a descendant of the colonial settlers, who says that 'I am going to divide these people, I'm going to do everything in my power to divide black political parties,' and then she goes into that journey. And then when she comes to divide us, we get divided as well,” said Shivambu.
“A person says that 'I'm going to divide to rule them, I am not going to allow any agreement between the ANC, MK, EFF,' because that will be what she calls doomsday. She sets an agenda of dividing the black majority, then succeeds in doing so.
“We should think and discuss perpetually (among) ourselves that why is it so easy to divide black people? The fact of the matter is that we still represent the black majority, and Africans in particular, all of us.”
It's worrying that Helen Zille can divide black parties: Floyd Shivambu
EFF deputy says black people should 'discuss perpetually' why it's so easy
Journalist
Image: Freddy Mavunda
The DA’s Helen Zille embarked on a mission to divide black progressive political parties — and has succeeded. These black parties now have to look into why it was so easy.
This is according to EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu, who on Wednesday claimed that the establishment of the government of national unity (GNU) was the brainchild of the DA, which had made it its mission to block any coalition among the ANC, the EFF and the MK party.
The fact that the three parties were not in any marriage after the May 29 elections that showed Zille and the DA had succeeded in their mission, he said.
Minutes after his election as the DA leader in April last year, John Steenhuisen declared the EFF and its leader Julius Malema as “enemy number one” and vowed to stop them from entering the Union Buildings.
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Steenhuisen vowed in his first speech as DA leader that he would stop any “doomsday coalition” between the ANC and the EFF. He went on to announce the “moonshot pact” to which all parties bar the EFF would be invited as a way to negate an ANC-EFF marriage.
That this intention had been realised through the ANC-led GNU was worrying, said Shivambu.
“But one thing that we must be concerned about as black people — as progressive forces, as parties and political movements that associate with the liberation heritage — is we have a Helen Zille, a descendant of the colonial settlers, who says that 'I am going to divide these people, I'm going to do everything in my power to divide black political parties,' and then she goes into that journey. And then when she comes to divide us, we get divided as well,” said Shivambu.
“A person says that 'I'm going to divide to rule them, I am not going to allow any agreement between the ANC, MK, EFF,' because that will be what she calls doomsday. She sets an agenda of dividing the black majority, then succeeds in doing so.
“We should think and discuss perpetually (among) ourselves that why is it so easy to divide black people? The fact of the matter is that we still represent the black majority, and Africans in particular, all of us.”
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Shivambu was speaking at the memorial service of a slain EFF councillor in Johannesburg, Moshe Mphahlele, who was allegedly killed by police and security guards at the weekend.
Shivambu said the EFF would ensure that the killers were held accountable.
“We take this opportunity on behalf of the members and supporters of the EFF to once again send our deepest condolences to the family and the children of our councillor, of our leader, of the deputy regional secretary of the EFF here in the City of Johannesburg for the tragic death which could have been avoided.
“Many people say that when people pass on it is the will of God,” said Shivambu. “I don't think that the passing of fighter Moshe Mphahlele is the will of God. It's the will of criminals who must be arrested and held accountable. We should do everything in our power to hold those who killed him accountable.”
Shivambu reflected on the makeup of President Cyril Ramaphosa's GNU executive, saying it could not be compared to that of the late former president Nelson Mandela.
He said Mandela's GNU was as a result of an interim constitution which stated that parties that will be represented in the executive will have to receive at least 20 seats in parliament. It was also meant to avert any potential calamity as there was a major shift in how the government was going to run.
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Ramaphosa’s executive now has members of parties who have one seat in parliament.
“That GNU was a GNU because it was meant to manage a major shift from an apartheid colonial system of whites only who were running the government.
“And then they were saying let's now have a transition that is going to be managed through a government of national unity. And it came to an end in 1996 when a new constitution was adopted which did not have two deputy president, which did not have a government of national unity as part of its composition,” said Shivambu.
He said to characterise the alliance of the DA and the ANC as a government of national unity was completely wrong.
Zille has also been vocal about characterising the GNU as a coalition between the ANC and the DA.
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