An ex-member and Robben Island political prisoner of the ANC Umkhonto weSizwe military wing, Pat Matosa, said the MK Party was a different breakaway party that broke from the ANC.
Matosa stated this as a fact, saying that the MK Party was not the PAC, UDM, Cope, EFF and ACT (African Congress for Transformation).
He said all those organisations stated above did not take away anything significant from the ANC, saying Cope only took the words, Congress of the People, UDM took nothing, and ACT of Magashule took only the word, Madelakufa.
“The MKP has usurped the history, the language, the slogans, the chants, the uniform, the march and drill and the revolutionary songs and far worse and dangerous it has tapped on and took away the spirit of the ANC.
“The MKP has also usurped the long history of the Struggle and make it its own. The MKP has claimed the ownership of the unbroken anti-colonial Struggle that started at the dawn of colonialism in April 6,1652.
“It’s claiming this unbroken and continuous heroic history of the anti-colonial Struggle by reviving the heroic leadership of the African kings and queens in the 252 heroic anti-colonial Wars of Resistance,” Matosa said.
He said the MK Party seemed to be undoing the key elements of the April 27, 1994 democratic breakthrough.
“When the masses hear the sounds of the revolutionary Struggle songs, chants and slogans, they joined the singing, chants and slogans without asking first who is singing the songs. They ask the question later on. The songs, chants and slogans constitute the central core spiritual part of the ANC.
“What the MKP has usurped from the ANC is beyond the physical domain. It's both physical and spiritual. The physical reaction of different kinds in this situation will be unhelpful. The ANC must think deeply about this new political challenge.”
Matosa cautioned the ANC not to underestimate the importance of the MK Party.
However, he warned the MK Party to resist being a cult organisation, as such behaviour would destroy the organisation.
The Star
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