Democratic Alliance federal council chairperson Helen Zille. (Marco Longari/AFP)
A little more than 100 days into the government of national unity, ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji believes that Democratic Alliance federal chair Helen Zille has become a “problem” for the 10-party coalition and she wants to collapse it.
Malatji told the Mail & Guardian that Zille was undermining her own party leaders who were part of the GNU cabinet.
“I don’t believe Helen Zille supports the GNU,” Malatji said. “She is undermining leaders of her political party. [John] Steenhuisen must pull up his socks as the leader of the DA instead of operating under the shadow of Zille who undermines his leadership skills,” Malatji said.
“If Helen Zille undermines everyone in the DA, she can’t undermine people in the ANC,” he said.
Malatji said that despite the loss of its outright majority nationally, the ANC remained “the centre of power.”
“We have invited people to the GNU and the DA is one of those who have joined. If they want to leave, there’s no problem with that. If you’re not happy in my house when I have invited you then you must leave,” he said.
Malatji said the ANC Youth League’s (ANCYL) support for the GNU was “conditional” and that this had been communicated to the party’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa.
“We are not happy about the GNU because the ANC is out of power. I would have loved for the ANC to be the majority party and implement its own policies, but South Africans put us in this position. We are kissing frogs everywhere to try and consolidate the government.”
The conditions imposed by the ANCYL were that the GNU put the people of South Africa first and ensured that none of the gains made since 1994 should be reversed.
“The president committed to that and that is why we supported the GNU,” said Malatji.
Policy differences between ANC and DA have begun to play out publicly.
The signing of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act was a crucial early test for the new government.
The DA boycotted the ceremony and threatened legal action against the Act, while the president, as a compromise, agreed to hold implementing the two contentious clauses while dialogue over them took place.
The National Health Insurance (NHI) is another point of contention and Malatji said they would be keeping a “close eye” on both issues.
“We are still watching it in certain areas. We are giving them another 100 days and if they do not perform we will be the first to act against it,” he said
Malatji also weighed in on the conflict between the party’s chairperson in Gauteng Panyaza Lesufi and the secretary general Fikile Mbalula who clashed in public.
The conflict between the two has also escalated into partners of the GNU attacking the party in Gauteng.
This, according to Malatji is an attack on the ANC, rather than Lesufi.
“We know that for many years Panyaza [Lesufi] has been behind the Bela Act before it was even national. He has been pushing the transformation of schools. The attack is against the ANC more than it is against Panyaza. The plan has always been to weaken the ANC and Panyaza has been identified as a vocal problem,” he said.
“It’s not about the Gauteng PEC [Provincial Executive Committees], it’s about the attack on the ANC. Panyaza is not a big person, the person they want to weaken is the ANC, and Panyaza is the chairperson of one of the biggest populated provinces. Anyone who wants to be in power must first weaken the ANC in Gauteng,” he said.
During a recent march to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange offices in Sandton, where the league was protesting for a more inclusive economy, Malatji said if the unemployment crisis remains unresolved by December, the youth league will take action to remove Ramaphosa from the union buildings.
“If by December there is no clear direction, we have resolved that I am going to install myself as the president of this country. It is clear that we can lead better than them,” said Malatji.
Malatji told the M&G this was a “message” to pressure the president to “move faster” and a reminder that young people were becoming impatient because of high levels of unemployment, poverty and inequality.
“The reality is that if the youth league does not lead the revolution, some anarchists of regime change will do it,’ Malatji said.