FORMER president Jacob Zuma is behaving like an apartheid agent. This is according to ANC Youth League secretary-general, Mntuwoxolo Ngudle.
During a media briefing on Wednesday, 3 April, on the outcome of the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee meeting from 22 to 24 March, Ngudle said Zuma and his political party uMkhonto Wesizwe were dividing Mzansi along tribal lines.
“We've been seeing mushrooming parties, but they haven't organised like the MK Party in terms of trying to create regional and tribal lines in its mobilisation. It’s a dangerous phenomenon,” said Ngudle.
“We view people like Zuma as some new apartheid agents because if you divide people on the basis of tribal and regional lines, you're bringing a new form of apartheid which is divide and rule. We're calling on young people to reject it.”
Ngudle said Zuma was going around deceiving the electorate that he was defending the ANC.
“People shouldn't be confused by the fact that Zuma is the former president of the ANC. There can be confusion that Zuma says he wants to defend the ANC, but how does he defend the ANC when he has put it in more trouble than any other president that has ever led the party?” he asked.
Ngudle said the ANC was trying to clean up the mess created by Zuma. He claimed Zuma almost collapsed the state when he was president. He called on young people to oppose any form of mobilisation that resembles the nation's ugly past.
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“We must avoid the blatant stealing of the ANC's intellectual property by so-called MK Party leaders stealing the name uMkhonto weSizwe as well as its emblem.
“This was just a reminder of how crooked their leaders were when they were still in the ANC. Corruption was at its worst in this country. It comes as no surprise that the formation of their party is marred by theft. As the ANC continues to rid itself of corrupt and unscrupulous characters, we must reject everything that is unoriginal, gaslights us and takes us for a ride.”
The ANCYL leaders called for economic transformation by building a developmental state.
“The current ANCYL collective has put forward several proposals that include the introduction of export quotas for all our mineral resources as well as our agricultural fresh produce,” said Ngudle.
On youth unemployment, he said the ANCYL places youth unemployment at the top of its agenda.
He pointed out that many of the societal issues young people face today, such drug abuse, crime and gangsterism are as a result of the youth sitting idly at home with no prospects of being employed.
“The ANCYL continues to sharply call for immediate job creation. We've said government needs to invest in re-industrialisation to open job opportunities and re-skilling the youth. This should be done to make young people eligible for the current needs of the economy and the job market,” he said.
