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ANC is dead no matter who gets elected at conference – Maimane

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Mmusi Maimane. Picture: Jan Gerber
Mmusi Maimane. Picture: Jan Gerber

Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane has compared Zimbabwe’s Zanu-PF to the ANC, saying that the two parties were in the same WhatsApp group.

“Zanu-PF and the ANC bear a striking resemblance to each other, both in terms of their history and their attitude to power. Same Whatsapp group, as they say.

“What’s playing out now in Zimbabwe is, in many ways, a blueprint for the ANC’s inevitable demise,” he said.

Maimane was one of the speakers at The Daily Maverick’s annual The Gathering event at the Sandton Convention Centre on Thursday.

The widely attended event saw various speakers invited to the discussion under the question “How did we get here?”

Maimane took the opportunity to also point towards the irony that the ruling party – which the discussion was based on – was not even in attendance following a last minute withdrawal of three of the ANC’s presidential contenders.

“Isn’t it ironic that we are gathered at an event to discuss the upcoming elective conference of the ANC, and yet none of the ANC candidates are here?

“Here we are, all talking about the future of the ANC with no ANC in sight, apart from a couple of dissenting voices. Isn’t that just an accurate metaphor for the state of our nation?” Maimane said.

“The change we seek will not be a change that will come from within the ANC,” he added.

According to the opposition leader the ANC was dead and the elective conference in December had little value.

He said the conference would be of no imprtance because one corrupt leader would simply be exchanged for another.

“It doesn’t matter who gets elected at Nasrec in December – it will make no difference.

“The ANC is dead. Come 2019, we will have the opportunity to save our country and steer it in a new direction.”

Speakers at the event included United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa, Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema and former finance minister Pravin Gordhan.

Controversial cartoonist Zapiro, Dr Makhosi Khoza and Mavuso Msimang also attended as panellists.

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