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The ANC’s January 8 statement – presented by President Jacob Zuma – missed the target, says a leader of the party’s former MK combatants.
More than 40 000 people turned up at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto today to celebrate the ANC’s 105th birthday and listen to Zuma deliver the January 8 statement – the party’s call to action for members and supporters in the new year.
Quoting Albert Einstein, spokesperson for the former MK combatants Archie Mogodiri told City Press the statement confirmed that “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result” and that “the problems of today cannot be solved by the same thinking that created them”.
Mogodiri said the ANC should have used the occasion “to reconnect with our members and South Africans”.
“We have instead grown more distant,” he said.
“We reinforced the perception that the current leadership is self-serving (and) we have demonstrated that we have not learned from the recent electoral loss,” he added, referring to the ANC’s loss of three key metros in the municipal elections last August.
“We are taking our people for granted by, at best fudging the issues, and at worst lying blatantly about the state of the ANC. We haven’t snapped out of denialism (and) instead it is entrenched,” said Mogodiri.
He said unity was eluding the ANC as “factionalism is rewarded rather than condemned and strong action taken to stamp it out”.
Last year the former combatants had organised a national council in Joburg, where discussions included the state of the ANC and how best to rescue the organisation from its current decline after the 2016 local government elections.
Among those who attended were Siphiwe Nyanda, Thabang Makwetla, Ronnie Kasrils, Joel Netshitenzhe, Jeff Radebe and Mathews Phosa.
