She says they are not going to allow women to be used by men.
Cosatu 2nd deputy president Zingiswa Losi is taking on those campaigning for ex-AU chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to succeed her ex-husband, saying these are men who want to use women for their own interests.
Losi was speaking at the Young Communist League’s Youth Day rally in eMalahleni on Sunday afternoon.
“We don’t have a problem with Mama Nkosazana,” she said while on stage.
“But we have problems if women are going to be used by men,” she said to thunderous applause.
“This call that the ANC is ready for a woman president is a call to use women to advance the narrow, myopic interests of men,” she said, provoking further applause.
“This call has got nothing to do with women. It’s got everything to do with the interests of those men that are corrupting the ANC and who want to stay in power but want to front with women,” said Losi.
“We’ve got problems with that,” she told the communist members and supporters gathered at the eMalahleni civic centre.
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ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa and SACP leader Blade Nzimande were expected to deliver the ANC and SACP’s messages of supports at the YCL rally but both didn’t come, sending apologies instead.
ANC NEC member Aaron Motsoaledi delivered the ANC’s message of support on Ramaphosa’s behalf as well as SACP central committee member Madala Masuku in Nzimande’s stead, saying the deputy president was not able to come as he was seriously held up at his home.
Nzimande couldn’t come because of the death of his mother Nozipho who passed away a week ago and who was buried over the weekend in Edendale, KZN.
Dlamini-Zuma may be the first female president of the ANC since its in 1912 if her supporters have their way at the party’s 54th elective conference in December 2017.
Both Cosatu and SANCO have endorsed Ramaphosa to take over the reigns of the ANC instead of Dlamini-Zuma, saying Ramaphosa is the only one capable of uniting the ANC and fighting rampant corruption.
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Losi warned that Radical Economic Transformation should not mean the looting of state-owned enterprises but real economic change favourable to workers, “not about the connected few, Zuma and Gupta family”.
She also condemned the recent march to SACP 2nd deputy secretary Solly Mapaila’s house three weeks ago by MKMVA members, saying as Cosatu they were still waiting for President Jacob Zuma to release a statement, distancing himself from the march.
“We haven’t heard him distancing himself. If he doesn’t distance himself it will mean he’s part of it,” Losi said.
(edited by MLM)
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