Elections should be held immediately, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Wednesday.
”If the African National Congress [ANC] is confident that recalling the president, the consequential resignation of Cabinet and the potential resignations of premiers and mayors are in the best interests of South Africa, then let’s have an election now,” said DA Mpumalanga’s provincial legislature member, Anthony Benadie, in Leroro on Wednesday.
”Tomorrow [Thursday] South Africa will receive a new state president, who has not received a single vote from the people of South Africa.
”The ANC must stop dictating to the people of South Africa. Call an election and let the people decide on their future.”
Benadie said South Africa did not need a new president but needed a new government and regime.
Benadie said in 1994, 1999 and in 2004 it was a given that the ANC would win the election.
”In 2009, it is not a given, as the war within the ANC has handed the power back to the people, who must decide who will lead them.”
Benadie said people who had supported Thabo Mbeki should now vote for the DA.
”The ANC rejected their leader the ANC will reject Mbeki’s supporters too; we the DA is ready to welcome them”.
Also speaking at a separate Heritage Day event in Bethel, Mpumalanga, Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) provincial secretary Norman Mokoena said all alliance members had to help the ANC win the next elections.
”Every member of the alliance must stretch every nerve to make sure that the ANC, under president comrade Jacob Zuma and the leadership elected at the Polokwane Conference triumph once again, with an even bigger majority.
”And then we must make sure that the new government gets us back on the road to economic recovery and job creation.”
Mokoena said the congress was building a socialist South Africa.
”We have built, and are still building, a mighty mass movement that is mobilising the people in a historic struggle for a socialist South Africa and a socialist world.” — Sapa