General Secretary of South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), Zwelinzima Vavi says if the current state of the ANC doesn’t take a positive turn, he will not be voting for the organisation come 2019.
The former Congress of South African Trade Unions general secretary has rejected an invitation from the South African Communist Party (SACP) to attend its national congress underway in Johannesburg. Zwelinzima Vavi said after careful consideration, SAFTU was unable to accept the SACP invitation for a number of reasons, including the federation’s misgivings about the Communist Party’s leadership which has “fallen into the trap of factional politics”.
Vavi says he can’t vote for the governing party with Jacob Zuma at its helm. He says he would not be able to sleep peacefully at night.
“Voting for the ANC would be effectively endorsing Jacob Zuma nefarious activities together with the Guptas. It will be saying it is ok to destroy trade unions, the ANC itself and dismantle state own enterprises and steal from them.”
Vavi’s comments come as deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday criticized the corruption that has damaged the ANC under president Zuma, opening a divide in the ANC months ahead of a leadership contest.
Zwelinzima Vavi urges South Africans not to lose hope and keep on fighting to have Jacob Zuma removed. He says South Africans should ask the ANC to make a choice, is it going to be Jacob Zuma or South Africa. According to Vavi, Numsa did not breakaway from the ANC but was dismissed because they were standing up against the ANC.
When the ANC picks Zuma’s successor in December, Ramaphosa is expected to face off against veteran politician Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the former African Union chairperson.
Ramaphosa is viewed as more investor friendly and has pledged to fight the corruption that has plagued Zuma’s tenure. Dlamini-Zuma appeals to ANC grassroots and has the support of Zuma’s well-established patronage network.