Johnathan Paoli
Former Tourism Minister and ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) member Lindiwe Sisulu warned on Monday that an ANC and DA coalition would not only be catastrophic for transformation but would be a slap in the face for all the progress the ANC has made.
“In all the time I spent in prison fighting apartheid, I didn’t do it for the DA. The DA is the epitome of what the previous government represents. The idea that Black parties cannot govern is very racist. It is an insult for people who oppressed us and who threw us in jail for fighting for justice to say we can’t govern,” Sisulu said.
Following reports and analysis that president Cyril Ramaphosa was considering a possible coalition with the Blue Army, Sisulu said the ANC President would only be able to enter into any agreement with another party after obtaining approval from the NEC.
Sisulu blamed the ANC’s current position on the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC)’s mishandling of the national and provincial elections.
“I would think that after 30 years the commission would be able to run fair and transparent elections. Since 26 parties complained about the counting and the results, the IEC for its own credibility should have issued a recount,” she said.
She called for a return to an approach where the ANC government took its mandate from the people and not from capital.
“I know the president has friends in capital, but capital doesn’t decide internal ANC matters. If it does then perhaps I’m in the wrong party. I never thought I would see the day when our very movement takes orders from Stellenbosch,” Sisulu charged.
She called for a “Black Pact” alliance, including the ANC, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the Patriotic Alliance (PA).
And went on to outline a plan that she said is the foundation for this proposed alliance which included: an anti-corruption charter, the Africanisation of the law, curbing illicit capital flight, revival and stabilisation of state owned entities, creation of a sovereign fund, pushing national health insurance (NHI) and land reform.
“We should be asking ourselves why would the ANC even consider a union with the DA and not our natural allies and brothers and sisters in the form of a Black Pact of Progressive Forces? After all, the struggle for our liberation was mainly to disentangle Black people from colonialism and apartheid chains,” Sisulu said.
Sisulu, who had been part of the executive since 1994, was excluded from the cabinet for the first time when Ramaphosa reshuffled his cabinet last year.
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