Tag: African National Congress
Press Statement of Organisers of Occupy Luthuli House #OccupyLuthuliHouse (04.09.2016)

Thank you once again for coming and honouring this invitation at such short notice. As millions of South Africans witnessed on Friday, a revolution isn’t a bed of roses. However we equally believe what happened Friday was a blessing in disguise as millions of South Africans saw exactly why we are on this cause. South Africans witnessed how the ANC has deteriorated, South Africans saw a micro reflection of how ordinary members of the ANC are silenced and dealt with in branches. Millions of South Africans saw why we have severely lost our moral high ground and why we are fast losing respect from society and no longer leading it. Millions of South Africans witnessed the implications of people being parachuted as leaders yet have no inclination of what it means to be a disciplined member of the ANC. South Africans saw why residents of Tshwane, particularly young people didn’t vote for the ANC. South Africans this is what we are fighting against. We are fighting against institutional abnormalities, intellectual paucity and moral deficiency in our ranks. We are fighting to salvage what is left of this revolutionary movement started by dignified, astute and disciplined Africans. Africans who understood that militancy and radicalism was never tantamount to hooliganism. We are fighting against patriarchy and chauvinism that has seen many women in the ANC and overall society being isolated, labelled and man handled because their views were not advancing agendas.
In the most trying times we have never witnessed Tata Nelson Mandela insult, slander or belittle even leaders of apartheid, we have never witnessed O.R. Tambo man handle or intimidate those with dissenting views. We wish to reiterate that no one has ownership or intellectual property over the ANC as ANC belongs to society. Hence even in joyous moments we continue to appreciate that its ordinary people that proudly wear ANC colours, but also in times of despair let them do so. We wish to extend our unequivocal apologies to the management and staff of the Classique Hotel in Tshwane, the National Press Club who hosted the press briefing, but more importantly to you South Africans that witnessed a self-proclaimed ANC member and leader rape the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa by undermining and disregarding freedom of speech and expression. We apologise to the veterans that had to witness what YL members have degenerated to. It was embarrassing, humiliating but more than anything it was necessary so that society understands why we can no longer introspect but we must take action.
It is rather unfortunate that we as young people of the ANC are now at logger heads not on fundamental issues such as the implications of South Africa being part of BRICS, whether motive forces as presented in the ANC strategy and tactics document have changed, what are the implications of potential shifts in American and European politics, the Syria crisis, inequalities in our society, that millions of Black South Africans are still subjected to poverty, but unfortunately our generation is embroiled unnecessarily in the turmoil of factional politics led by senior leaders. Our senior leaders are dismally failing our generation, more eager and interested in succession battles as we lose power. Friday we saw live evidence that if we don’t act now this is what the future of the ANC will be.
We wish to reassure millions of South Africans that as bleak as the situation might be, there are ANC members who are decisively ready to change this trajectory. We refuse to stand silently in our corners and watch this erosion unfold, we refuse to be intimidated and if need be will die to save the ANC. Yet we are witnessing cowardice strangling our organisation, many people hiding behind the notion of organisational processes. Millions of South Africans saw how abnormal we have become. We are in a state of paralysis where ANC processes have been hijacked and manipulated and robust engagement oppressed.
We appeal to revolutionary consciousness of NEC members to do the right thing. Are they really willing to go down in history as those that were hell-bent to protect individual interests over the organisation?
As reiterated in our statement on Friday we wish to tell South Africans that Occupy Luthuli House is necessitated by time and space, however time is clearly not our side. The ANC is losing power, its losing society. We therefore call upon members of society, members of the ANC and non-members to please come and join us tomorrow so that we correct these wrongs. Our generation will not sit and watch this. We will never realise our generational mission of economic freedom in our lifetime if we sit and protect patronage, anarchy and just watch the ANC die at the hands of parasitic conformists.

We reiterate our demands and why we are going to occupy Luthuli House
– That the ANC immediately recall President Jacob Gedleyehlekisa Zuma as President of the Republic of South Africa
– That NEC members follow suite and resign
– We call upon stalwarts of the ANC to take us to a consultative conference by December 2016
– The immediate implementation of conference Resolutions which will revive the ANC
– Disbanding the fees commission as it undermines conference resolutions of free and quality education by 2014
We are risking everything as we sit here, but we are inspired by the generation that formed the ANCYL risking everything to advance the armed struggle, we are inspired by those that have made contact and supported pour call. We call upon South Africans to please come tomorrow at 8 am as we converge first at the Bayers Naude square.
We acknowledge and respect the statement of the PEC of Gauteng, and what they have said is no different from all internal processes that have taken place. Unfortunately we also note the PEC’s silence on those who are claiming to defend Luthuli House and threatening violence. Self-proclaimed defenders have threatened violence when we just want to peacefully visit our own headquarters and visit our own leadership and request them to resign. The PEC has not condemned the violent and un-ANC behaviour of ANCYL Tshwane. We are aware that people are being mobilised to come and attack us. We maintain that this is a peaceful demonstration as a result of growing frustrations internally and externally. We continue to see growing frustrations expressed by many in public who seem to share the same sentiment.
We call upon all South Africans who support the ANC and those who voted and those in CBD to come and support us share our views to please come and join us. We remain resolute that we stand with the ANC; we are children of the ANC.
For more information
Contact
Bonolo Ramokhele
WATCH | ANC veteran Zola Skweyiya calls for Zuma’s resignation (Youtube-Clip)
“Johannesburg, 03 September 2016 – ANC veteran Zola Skweyiya has added his voice to calls for an early elective conference. In an exclusive interview with eNCA, Skweyiya says he believes ANC leaders are out of touch with the aspirations of South Africans” (eNCA, 2016)
Govt Debuts New Flavoured Condoms for South Africans (Youtube-Clip)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWFO3099a8w
“Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Max condoms were redesigned to reduce noise during sex, prompting laughter and one interesting question from a member of parliament ..” (AllAfrica, 2016)
Statement of Minister of Mineral Resources is not government posistion (02.09.2016)


“Why all of a sudden the President is married to this process” (Youtube-Clip)
“Former Finance Minister, Des Van Rooyen has now also entered the row involving his successor Pravin Gordhan. Van Rooyen, who spoke wearing his MKMVA hat, says Gordhan should stop undermining the Hawks and subject himself to the investigation” (SABC Digital News, 2016)
Network Africa: Examining The ‘Racist Hair Policy’ In South Africa (Youtube-Clip)
SACP calls for urgent ANC conference (Youtube-Clip)
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MP Pravin Gordham letter to Eskom on Pre-Payment to Tegeta (17.08.2016)

Eskom stands by its statement that it is cooperating with the National Treasury investigation (29.08.2016)

Monday, 29 August 2016: Eskom is shocked and perplexed that the National Treasury has chosen to issue a statement that it has issued on the Tegeta contracts as they relate to Eskom.
National Treasury started an investigation into Eskom contracts with Tegeta in July 2015. Eskom wants to reiterate that it has been cooperating with National Treasury. Since then, as outlined below, Eskom has been responding to National Treasury requests.
The first request for information from National Treasury to Eskom was received on 31 July 2015. A response was sent to them and they came back with their first draft report requesting further information on 15 September 2015. We responded to that request and they came back with a second draft report asking for more information on 21 October 2015. Eskom responded on 11 November 2015 with the required information including all invoices and payments made to Tegeta as an annexure to the response. The third request was received on 12 April 2016. Eskom was asked to comment on a 172-page document. This request came with a specific instruction from National Treasury to provide comments after they had been considered by the Eskom Board. The deadline given was 30 April 2016.
This was an unreasonable request. Consequently, Eskom requested an extension to provide the information, which was granted by National Treasury. We therefore think it is neither unreasonable that our Board will have considered responses to the 172-page document by end of September 2016 nor a reason for National Treasury to label Eskom as uncooperative. Furthermore, in a letter from Mr Molefe to Mr Brown dated 24 June 2016 Mr Molefe informed National Treasury of Eskom’s intention to submit the required information after it has been reviewed by the Eskom Board, as per National Treasury instruction of 12 April 2016.
Eskom has compiled a response to National Treasury’s report dated 12 April 2016 and the responses are due to be tabled for consideration by the Eskom Board as per National Treasury’s instruction during September 2016. These responses have already been tabled and reviewed by the procurement subcommittee of the Board on 16 August 2016.
The only letter that Eskom is aware of in which the Minister of Finance refers to prepayments to Tegeta was dated 17 August 2016 (attached). Eskom is in the process of compiling a response in this regard in line with our media statements already issued on this topic.
It is also true that the National Treasury has requested all contracts related to Tegeta (as noted above) and that these contracts were subject to an investigation by National Treasury. We therefore see no reason to retract the statement to the effect that National Treasury has investigated Tegeta contracts extensively.

