By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Former president Thabo Mbeki has slammed uMkhonto weSizwe breakaway political party, saying it was being run and led by the same people who tried to destroy the South African Revenue Services (Sars).
Mbeki was addressing the annual lecture at the University of South Africa (Unisa) on Wednesday afternoon.
He also slammed his former deputy president Jacob Zuma for trying to make a contradicting statement to the public about the MKP.
The former president has raised concern that some of the senior leaders of the MK party are the same people responsible for trying to destroy the Revenue Service.
Mbeki referenced the Nugent Commission report as a moment that should have been alarming. This after revealing that there was a spirited attempt to destroy the revenue collector. He said CJ Raymond Zondo went further to place Zuma at the centre of that destruction.
He said he was therefore shocked that there are people who want to support the MK Party, which is led by Zuma. The man who wanted to destroy Sars and ushered in the age of downward spiraling of the country’s fortunes.
“Who indeed is this President (Zuma)? Because there is no way you’re going to be able to square the circle that the President of the RSA acts to destroy the revenue services?
He blamed Zuma for the disinvestment in the country by big capital because of uncertainty about where the country was going. This was there in ages one, when Mbeki was the head of state.
“It is either the State Capture Commission is entirely wrong or we are dealing with somebody who is entirely wrong,” charged Mbeki.
“Take the MK Party, you cannot say I remain a member of the ANC but you support a party that is going to campaign in order to defeat the ANC. That does not make sense.”
A recent poll by the Brenthurst Foundation suggests that the MK party could secure 13% of the national vote, potentially outperforming the EFF, which is currently polling at 10%.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the MK party has shown promise, polling at 25%, while the ANC sits at 20%. The Inkatha Freedom Party and DA are tied at 19%, with the EFF trailing at 14%.
The emergence of the MK party signals a shift in South Africa’s political landscape, with Zuma’s disillusionment with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration leading him to form a new political entity.
Zuma’s daughter, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, and former ANC MP Des van Rooyen are among the notable figures on the MK party list of candidates for parliament.
Watch Live in the video below:
Video Courtesy of Unisa.