Outspoken ANC members must be careful of their own skeletons - Zuma

Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma fired shots at his detractors both in and out of the ANC, alleging that some of them were being used by the party's enemies in an attempt to destroy it.

Speaking at an ANC rally in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, on Saturday Zuma claimed that those speaking out against him and the ANC had been bought by those clinging on to control of the economy.

Zuma told ANC supporters the party was trying to rid the country of economic disparities, which was why the minority and the former oppressors were scared.

"In all other countries, the majority controls everything from politics, economy and defense… It's only in this country where we don't have economic freedom. It's controlled by the minority and those who oppressed us.

"That is why they are scared that we will take away this economy. They want to take away the strength of the ANC because they know the ANC is the only organisation trying to balance the scales.

"They control everything and we live in poverty. That is why they hate the ANC. They take some of us and  give them crumbs," Zuma added.

He also attacked ANC cadres and former members who were speaking publicly against him, calling them puppets of the enemy.

Shameful

He said ANC cadres who spoke out to the media in secret meetings outside of party structures were shameful.

"There are talks from those who left the ANC who are loved by our enemies and will be used by the enemies. Then there are those who claim to be ANC and claim to know ANC and say they have spent years in the ANC but when they complain they don't go to the structures of the ANC. They do shameful things as ANC cadres."

He said those who had formed the Save South Africa campaign, claiming to be long-standing ANC members, were ill-disciplined.

"Some have established organisations like Save SA, yet they claim to be ANC. If they have something to say, they don't go to structures. They meet alone and speak to the media. Where is the discipline of the ANC?"

He questioned the motives of ANC members who did not consult its branches saying that branches needed to protect the ANC from them.

"They don't go to branches. If they are complaining about the president of the ANC, why don't they go to branches?  They do not have solutions. They go outside  and they do not talk to you. You must protect the ANC.

"Some of them have their own skeletons that we will reveal later on. We say to you in branches, 'love the congress... our enemies are helping them to destroy the organisation'," Zuma said.

Several long-standing ANC members and struggle heroes have made scathing remarks about Zuma, calling for him to resign. This culminated in the Constitutional Court judgement that Zuma and Parliament flouted the Constitution by ignoring the public protector's findings in the Nkandla matter.

Save SA leaders include businessman and long-time ANC member Sipho Pityana as well as former ministers Trevor Manuel, Ronnie Kasrils and Barbara Hogan.

This article first appeared on News24.