Lekota: Remove ANC government
2009-01-10 22:20
Umlazi - As political parties go head-to-head to secure votes ahead of the hotly-contested 2009 election, Congress of the People (Cope) president Mosiuoa "Terror" Lekota on Saturday urged his members to remove the ANC-led government that showed no interest in its people.
"When we struggle for freedom, the objective is to remove from power, a force, a government... that is not active in the interests of the people..." he said while addressing scores of supporters in Durban's Umlazi suburb.
"We have to mobilise the majority to make it happen," he said.
He said in order to achieve it, Cope needed particular people in their organisation with particular skills. "We need people that are ready to go to jail for this to succeed, people ready to spill blood for this...."
South Africa, he said, had become a country where unskilled and untrained people were sitting in top posts doing nothing.
Every person should be treated the same
One of these people was a mayor he knew of with only a standard three pass. He questioned how someone with such little education could be put appointed to run a city.
Lekota also lashed out at the SA Police Service saying many of the officers disregarded their duties to serve their political alliances.
"We know the SAPS are aligned to a union and that union is affiliated to a political party...but the constitution says they may not in the course of their duties advance party political interests...they are violating the constitution."
He said police members treated Cope differently because they (the police) supported a different party.
Every person should be treated the same, said Lekota.
He said should Cope be voted into power, this matter with the police would be addressed.
Lekota expressed concern that the government had moved from serving the people to letting the people do the work.
"Now, we have to go and arrest a thief for stealing. We can't make the arrest because you need certain training to be a policeman to make an arrest.The police must make the arrest.
"We are paying these public servants with all our tax money...and they are advancing the interests of the party they serve...and asking you to make an arrest."
He said this had to stop.
In response to questions from journalists, Lekota said had former President Thabo Mbeki not been dismissed, it would only have been "a matter of time" before he left the ANC.
ANC like an old man
In the practice of politics, he said, matters needed to be handled in the "right manner" without using under-hand methods. "You can't do the right things using wrong methods".
Lekota also announced the resignation of Lucky Gabela from the ANC, as he joins part of Cope's KwaZulu-Natal leadership.
Gabela served on many portfolios and was the former Durban South regional secretary for the ANC.
Making another comparison, Lekota said the ANC was like an old man while Cope was like a young man.
"The old man would only get older and weaker while the young man will only get stronger...Contest after contest, one day we will hear that the old man will announce his retirement..."
"For Cope the pace, the tactics are more advanced, more sophisticated...[but also] based on the tactics of the old man. Cope will be the young man who will grow fast."
Members were urged no to make the birth of Cope a one-day event but a process that would continue "for days, weeks, months and years" and would have a bearing not only in the present generation, but the generations to come.
- SAPA