Yesterday’s ANC Youth League rally turned into a campaign for the support of President Jacob Zuma, as thousands of league members gathered at the Germiston Stadium for the “Future is Bright” assembly.
The rally was addressed by water affairs minister Nomvula Mokonyane, who was there in place of Zuma, who was at the ANC’s National Working Committee meeting.
The rally became quite fiery, with the league warning anyone planning to march to Luthuli House (i.e. the Democratic Alliance) that they would fight fire with fire.
Here are six of the best quotes from the rally:
President Jacob Zuma will serve the remainder of his term as president of the ANC and president of South Africa. Those who want to remove the president must know that we will meet each other on the ballot and when we go to the ballot we will continue to vote for the ANC. Those who will want to use wrong measures of regime change to try and remove the president, they will meet us on the streets.
ANC Youth League secretary-general Njabulo Nzuza
They thought President Zuma was going to be a coward but President Zuma stood by his decision. He made a good decision and gave an opportunity to one of our own. We know comrade Malusi Gigaba in the ANC, in the youth league. We are not confused.
Ekurhuleni executive mayor Mzwandile Masina
This thing of many press conferences and everything that is being said, they don’t represent the ANC of Oliver Tambo. Many of us comrades we must say this today, we never joined the ANC of Pravin Gordhan. We are not going to divide the ANC on the basis of an individual.
Mzwandile Masina
No deployee is above any other deployee in the ANC. We are all the same, we are all led by Msholozi alone. When we go to door to door, when we go to the ballot paper, the only face there is Msholozi’s alone. It is Zuma and the others, it is the president and the others.
Minister of Water and Sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane
Gigaba is a child of the ANC, he may be darker than Gordhan but he is a deployee of the ANC. He may have been born of a poor pastor but they are the same, he is a deployee of the ANC.
Nomvula Mokonyane
There is no secret ballot in the ANC because we don’t hide our things. We will be there in Parliament, you can’t not tow the line of the ANC; otherwise take your things and go home.
Nomvula Mokonyane