Motlanthe not alpha and omega of ANC - Youth League in KZN
Durban – Former deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe should refrain from attacking the African National Congress, the ANC Youth League in KwaZulu-Natal said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press briefing in Durban, ANCYL provincial secretary Thanduxolo Sabelo also said: "Motlanthe was not the alpha and the omega of the ANC."
This after the former deputy president criticised the party in an interview with Business Day. Motlanthe voiced his opinions on issues, including the tripartite alliance and the state of the ANC, its leaders and members.
Motlanthe said the ANC was currently made up mostly of members and leaders "devoid of the kind of political ability and consciousness required to maintain a united and non-racial society".
Motlanthe also reportedly said the tripartite alliance - between the ANC, SA Communist Party and Congress of SA Trade Unions - was dead, and that anyone who believed otherwise was delusional.
Said Sabelo: "We have a lot of respect for former deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe. He is one of the tried and tested leaders in the ANC, however… he is a member of the ANC.
"In the ANC that we know, whatever... challenges that the ANC has, are not taken outside. You can’t take ... your dirty linen and hang it outside for everyone to see. He needs to refrain from attacking the ANC."
'He is a member like any other member'
Sabelo said Motlanthe’s statements that he had chosen not to continue in the ANC leadership were false.
"He did not refrain from leading; he was rejected by a conference. He did not get elected, he contested and he lost. Members of the ANC chose president Zuma over Motlanthe, so he can’t say he refrained. He lost," said Sabelo.
"He must not now pose himself as the alpha and the omega of the ANC. He is a member like any other member and must abide by the constitution of the ANC.
"We are willing to lay down our lives to defend the ANC and its leadership… Even if it means taking comrade Kgalema to task, we will do that.
"Any attack on the ANC is a counter-revolutionary attack; it is aimed at derailing the revolution of South Africa."
On the tripartite alliance, Sabelo said Motlanthe’s utterances were false.
"The tripartite alliance is not dead, it is alive and well and continues to lead the society in South Africa.
"We want to continue respecting comrade Motlanthe, but [he must know] that we lose all respect for anyone who disrespects the ANC. That is the danger of what he is doing.
"You can criticise the ANC, but if you are a member, you must criticise the organisation from within. You cannot define yourself outside of the organisation," said Sabelo.
This article first appeared on News24 – see here.
