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Johannesburg - The African National Congress is to blame for its members making their frustrations public because it fails to listen when concerns are raised, says Denis Goldberg.
"You don’t want to listen to us, who will you listen to? We will go public. You don’t want to hear us, so we will be part of this growing stream of people saying enough is enough," Goldberg told News24 this week.
He is one of three remaining ANC members who were part of the Rivonia trial. The others are Andrew Mlangeni and Ahmed Kathrada. He is currently working on a project about the role of black soldiers in World War 2.
Goldberg has joined the chorus calling for President Jacob Zuma to step down. He believes there is genuine anger toward the ANC.
"Our people are gatvol, but I don’t know if they understand that."
Not enemies of the ANC
READ: ANC Johannesburg branch renews call for Zuma to resign
The ANC’s chief whip in Parliament, Jackson Mthembu, has called for the party’s national executive committee to step down, City Press reported last Sunday.
On Thursday, 101 long-standing ANC members called on the party to change its ways to regain society’s trust. The group includes Goldberg, former National Assembly speaker Frene Ginwala, and former ministers Trevor Manuel, Essop Pahad, and Siphiwe Nyanda.
Goldberg said those who had publicly voiced concerns were not enemies of the ruling party.
Attempts to speak to ANC leaders had resulted in secretary general Gwede Mantashe sending them a letter, saying they had to take their grievances to the veterans’ league, which no longer existed, he said.
"There is no organisation. That organisation is dead. Why did he lie to us again?"
He said Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans’ Association leader Kebby Maphatsoe was claiming they had freed South Africa.
"Nobody else? Only MK people died? And he ran away from the fight, and now he wants to tell me who the enemy of the ANC is? How dare he," Goldberg said.
He was referring to Ugandan army soldiers shooting Maphatsoe when he ran away from an ANC military camp during the anti-apartheid struggle.
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