Former President Thabo Mbeki did not beat around the bush in his speech at the memorial service for ANC deputy secretary-general Jesse Duarte, where he said the party failed to deal with issues of unemployment, renewal and poverty and inequality.
Mbeki began his speech by focusing on the ANC 2017 elective conference where President Cyril Ramaphosa was elected. According to former president Mbeki, important decisions were made at the conference with regards to the renewal of the ANC, pointing out that failure to do so, the ANC would perish.
It has been four years since the elective conference and the party has not made significant strides, with internal factional battles at the forefront playing themselves out. Mbeki said while the government is aware of frustrations of South African citizens, the anger could spill over and there could be repeat of the July unrest.
Mbeki criticised Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration accusing it of failing to implement key structural reforms since it made commitments in this year’s State of the Nation Address.
“Comrade president Cyril Ramaphosa, when he delivered the State of the Nation Address in February, said in 100 days there must be agreed and comprehensive social compact to address these matters. Nothing has happened, nothing,” Mbeki said.
While the party made a commitment of renewal, very little has been doe about it. He said he was worried that with all the problems in the country, with a lack of solution, this could to an Arab uprising.
Source: The Citizen, Eyewitness News, Daily Maverick, image from Twitter
