By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa told journalists on Monday, that the party has “noted” former president Jacob Zuma’s announcement that he will not campaign for the party and will vote for the newly-formed uMkhonto weSizwe political party in the upcoming elections.
“We all listened to that announcement and we have noted what he has said, what he has announced and that is as far as we are prepared to go at this point in time.
“Everyone in our country is free to express themselves in relation to who they will vote for and why they will vote for them. We have noted what former president Jacob Zuma has announced,” said Ramaphosa.
He made these comments after the ANC met with a delegation from the United Ulama Council and SA Friends of Palestine at Luthuli House.
Ramaphosa emphasised that a two-state solution is the best way to end the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel.
He said the two-state solution is the most viable option.
“The two-state solution is a globally accepted solution for what has been happening between Israel and the Palestinians. It is a view that [Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] has put forward. It needs to be examined against what has been put forward in the conflict,” he said.
“He has put forward a position, but a two-state solution is the most viable solution.”
However, on Saturday, Netanyahu rejected the idea of a two-state solution.
It came after US President Joe Biden encouraged the two-state solution as the only option for the future. He suggested that a Palestinian state be established in Gaza and the West Bank.
Ramaphosa added that South Africa is ready to play a role in achieving a ceasefire in Gaza.
The conflict has led to almost 20 000 people dying in Gaza and at least 1 200 people dying in Israel after the Hamas attack on 7 October.
Meanwhile the uMkhonto we Sizwe Liberation War Veterans took a tough stance against Zuma and accused him of violating the ANC constitution and stealing the MK brand for his nefarious purposes.
The MK veterans said Zuma was out of line and he has distorted the history of MK and its historical mission.
The MK veterans also said Zuma was ill-disciplined and has brought both the ANC and MK into disrepute.
Zuma made the announcement during the 62nd anniversary of the formation of MK.
ANC provincial secretary in KwaZulu-Natal, Bheki Mtolo, said people must not be duped into believing the MK Party that Zuma said he would vote for was part of the ANC.
He said this was not the same MK that was formed by the ANC in 1961 to wage an armed Struggle against the apartheid regime.
The new MK party can recruit anyone, even children who were born in the 2000s, said Mtolo.
The ANC in KZN was briefing the media on Monday on the decision by Zuma that he will not vote for the ANC next year, but he will vote for the MK party.
Mtolo said people must not be misled by comments by Zuma that this was a genuine MK that was the military wing of the ANC at the height of the Struggle.
This was an outfit whose intentions were not aligned with the objectives and principles of the ANC.
Members of the real MK will campaign with the ANC in KZN to retain the province, said Mtolo.
The 81-year-old Zuma, who joined the ANC as a teenager, was an anti-apartheid activist and spent a decade in jail as a political prisoner. He was part of its armed wing, uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), or Spear of the Nation.
Zuma is casting himself as a true revolutionary, and characterising Ramaphosa as a sell-out.
The many controversies surrounding Zuma have not receded in the years since he left office, and he is still facing charges of corruption over a 1999 arms deal. He denies the charges.
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Video Courtesy of MYANC.