Corrupt African National Congress members who occupy senior positions in the government and the civil service have received a tongue-lashing from Cabinet ministers and senior leaders of the organisation.
Urging those in the government who are corrupt or seeking to enrich themselves to remember the sacrifices made by those who died for the struggle, the Director General in the Presidency, Frank Chikane, said: ”When you hold your positions at provincial, local or national government or as a civil servant, you must remember that we are there because others paid a price. We cannot mess up with the costly fruit of the struggle. We need to remember that people died for this struggle.”
Chikane was speaking at the Transvaal United Democratic Front’s (UDF) 20th anniversary celebrations, held at Golf Reef City, Johannesburg, on Wednesday.
The event was attended by Minister of Defence Mosiuoa Lekota; ANC deputy secretary general Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele; Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Mohammed Valli Moosa and Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa, among others.
The ANC in Gauteng also honoured former UDF president Albertina Sisulu, and Chikane attacked his comrades for their sexist treatment of her.
”We as comrades tend to be very sexist even when we pretend to be liberated. We always treated her as Mama Sisulu who looked after the children. The reality is that we suppressed her contribution in the struggle starting from her participation on the inauguration of the ANCs Youth League in the 1940s.”
Sisulu could not attend the ceremony and was represented by her daughter, Beryl. Reading a strong message to the anniversary meeting from her mother, Beryl Sisulu said: ”She is sad to tell you that she is still very concerned about the high rate of poverty and the high rate of corruption.”
Shilowa said many activists were using their positions to leverage for themselves even better positions in the government and in private business. He hailed several activists who did ”donkey’s work” for the UDF but had never sought high positions.