Gordhan represents white capital, Western imperialism - Mngxitama

2 September 2016

Pretoria - Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan represents the interests of white capital, Black First Land First leader Andile Mngxitama said on Friday.

"Pravin represents the faction that represents the white interests within the DA. That is why all of them want privatisation. This whole thing about the Treasury attacking state-owned institutions is about privatisation," he said in Pretoria during a debate about coalition politics.

Other speakers included Women’s Justice Foundation founder Magdalene Moonsamy and DA MP Stevens Mokgalapa. The debate was hosted by the South African Association of Public Administration and Management's Gauteng chapter.

Mngxitama said the DA wanted to take state entities and hand them to whites.

He said, "this thing called Futuregrowth" was part of an "attack" by the party and white capital. The asset manager announced on Wednesday that it was suspending additional loans to major South African state-owned enterprises - including Eskom, Transnet, and Sanral - due to corporate governance concerns.

He spoke about corruption, but made no mention of President Jacob Zuma and his Nkandla homestead, or his looming arms deal graft charges.

He said white people stole billions of rands every day.

Gordhan and former finance minister Trevor Manuel wanted to "collapse" SOEs to allow whites to buy and privatise them, Mngxitama insisted.

"Pravin represents the interests of white capital, London, of Western hegemony and imperialism.

"Zuma, who you all don’t like, is standing with Brics. If you don’t know in the world there is a war, the West and the rest of us."

Mngxitama said South Africans had to be careful about jumping on the bandwagon of calling for Zuma to step down. This was a narrative created by the West, which wanted to see the country fail.

"They have finished Brazil. This thing of 'Zuma must go' comes from London."

Mnxitama continued criticising the DA.

"The DA is a party of white monopoly capital and white supremacy. Go to the Western Cape, Cape Town, Khayalitsha, Nyanga. See how DA manages that city that benefits whites, and blacks are excluded,” Mngxitama said during a debate on coalition politics.

"Our people in the Western Cape, as we speak, are using pota-pota. That city has billions of rands. The DA does not put money for infrastructure of black people in the Western Cape.

"Money has been rolled over because they need to give white people tenders. White people's companies in the Western Cape are oversubscribed. All the educated black people are running to Joburg, but unfortunately now they can’t anymore."

Mngxitama said the ANC and EFF had let black people down.

"EFF and ANC, you have cost us too much. I’m talking as a black person. For me, from Black Consciousness, this thing of political parties means nothing for me. An EFF comrade without the red regalia in the street is a black person, an ANC person in the streets is a black person.

"When racism deals with us, it does not ask if we are EFF or ANC, it treats all of us the same. We, as black people, need to realise that our enemy is not one another," he said.

This article first appeared on News24, see here and here.