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Voters who are upset with the ANC and its leadership have been advised to take their votes elsewhere.
In what appears to be a call to ditch the ANC, Ahmed Kathrada Foundation chief executive Neeshan Balton told the crowd attending the 8th annual serious social investment conference to consider voting for other parties.
“I find it very strange that you say there are no alternative options. There is the EFF, There is DA, there is Cope,” said Balton while responding to a question posed by one of the attendees who said he boycotted the elections because there wasn’t a better option to the ANC.
He added: “I am amazed when you say there are no options. We are so entrapped with ties and affiliations that we don’t want to see beyond them.”
Balton said as much as Ahmed Kathrada could see that the ANC had deviated from its original cause but remained loyal to it, it would be in the interest of democracy to vote for other parties.
“I think that’s kind of democracy we need,” he said much to the applause of the crowd.
Balton joined scores of speakers including Sipho Pityana from Save SA, Mark Heywood of Section 27 and political analyst Somadoda Fikeni.
They all agreed that President Jacob Zuma should leave office because he embodied everything that went wrong in the country.
“You can’t deny that he embodies all that is gone wrong, he embodies corruption in this country. So join the march and mobilise,” he said.
The call came as Zuma faced criticism from several quarters, including his fellow comrades who had called for his resignation.
