African National Congress (ANC) stalwart and deputy president of the ANC Veterans League, Mavuso Msimang, resigned from the ruling party after more than 60 years.
Msimang cited corruption as one of the reasons that led to him leaving the ANC.
“You do not need to dig too deeply to discover that most of the country’s failures are are linked to corruption somewhere in the system: a tender that should never have been awarded, a job that should have gone to a better qualified, more deserving and less factionally-aligned person,” said Msimang.
“This is happening on the watch of the ANC government.”
He said corruption was so pervasive in government and state-owned entities like Transnet and Eskom that it was affecting the economic performance of the country.
He said load shedding at Eskom has severely impacted the economy.
“Eskom [was] brought to its knees by high-level corruption and sabotage has literally rendered the nation powerless and all too often left it in the dark,” said Msimang.
He said the backlog at ports showed Transnet was in a state of crisis and this was also affecting the economy.
“Transnet’s mismanagement has derailed its freight-haulage system. In consequence, road transporters who have stepped into the breach sometimes have to wait in 40km long queues, while belching noxious gases into the atmosphere, because ports are congested,” Msimang said.
“The resulting demurrage charges are inevitably, ultimately borne by the consumer. And the worst may yet happen: ships simply avoiding our ports, and discharging their cargo in better-run ports elsewhere.”
Msimang said the country was also in a state of crisis and there was no urgency on the part of the ANC to address socio-economic challenges facing the people.
This is despite the veterans league urging the ANC to bar individuals fingered in corruption by commissions of inquiry.
Msimang said the economy was facing imminent collapse due to mismanagement and corruption, adding that the unemployment rate among the youth has gone up.
The ANC was also facing liquidation from Ezulwinin Investments for failing to pay it over R100 million for producing its posters and banners during the 2019 elections.
He said the state was on the verge of losing power and its state of decline is shown in its pollsters indicate that the people are fed up with corruption.
He decried how leaders of the ANC live the high life in the sea of poverty.
Msimang, who was elected deputy president of the veterans league at its conference in Nasrec last year, said the league had taken a resolution that party members who are fingered in corruption should not be allowed to serve as parliamentarians the ANC has not acted on this.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
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