The youth wing of South Africa's rulingAfrican National Congress (ANC) described opposition leader Helen Zille of theDemocratic Alliance as a racist for remark this week that South Africa wouldbecome a failed state ifthe ANC maintains its two-thirds majority in the April 22 general elections.She said an overwhelming win for the ruling party would mean the country willlose the opportunity of holding accountable those who abuse power. But the ANCyouth league dismissed the opposition leader's criticism saying ordinary SouthAfrican know the ruling party is addressing their concerns.
Vuyiswa Tulelo isthe general secretary of the ANC Youth League. She tells reporter Peter Clotteythat the ruling party will win more than two-thirds majority in the upcomingelections.
"Itdoes prove again to the population of South Africa that Miss Helen Zille remainsan absolute racist to the core. The city that she is in charge of has not moveda single inch up in the lives of African people. Now, precisely because the ANCis going to ensure that development reaches the black and African majority andthat is why she says sentiments like this," Tulelo pointed out.
She described as unfortunatethe opposition leader's comments about the ruling party rather than focusing onher campaign ahead of the election.
"ButI must also applaud her (Helen Zille) for spending so much time focusing on theANC other than campaigning on what her party will do for the people of SouthAfrica because she puts more mileage on the ANC than what her policies are. Butagain it shows that you can take a person out of the bush, but you cannot takethe bush out of the person as they say, and leopard never changes its spots.Miss Zille remains an adamant racist who only defends the rights of thoseminorities who have been at this for the past three hundred years," she said.
Tulelo said the oppositionleader's remark underscores her assertion that the blacks are not capable ofhandling their own affairs.
"What is obvious aboutsaying that when the ANC is going to take charge, South Africa is going tobecome a failed state? It tells you that the black man can never rule. Thethinking of this person says to you the only person who has got the capacityand ability and opportunity to rule is the white person. But should you darebecause in this instance we are talking about a truly ordinary rural boy (JacobZuma), the ruler of the ANC, a person who has had his education from theexperiences in the lives of our people and not through a text book. Now, thatsays to you those experiences do not count, you must come from Oxford orCambridge or you must at least be white in order for you to rule South Africa,"Tulelo noted.
She expressed confidencethat the ruling party would maintain its two-thirds majority in South Africa'sparliament after this month's election.
"I will tell you this that Ihave spent the past three months on the road and the people who have now comeout in defense of the ANC have reassured us the ANC will get more than thetwo-thirds. Because they have come to the appreciation that the leadership ofthe ANC as currently in office not only pays lip service to their issues, butit actually feels their pain. So, people have just decided that whateverhappens, they will defend the ANC and they will ensure that it gets more thanthe two thirds majority," she said.
Tulelo said ANC presidentialcandidate once president would demonstrate the true nature of somebody who haslearned from the ordinary people and who would ensure that the needs of theordinary South African are promptly addressed.
"The kind of president thatthe people of South Africa have been yearning for for the past 15 years who isthe man of the people and a servant of the people. One who knows what it feelslike to go to bed without food and one who knows how it feels like to grow upin the rural area that does not have electricity," Tulelo pointed out.
Some political observersbelieve that although the ruling party will face stiff challenges from theopposition parties, including the breakaway Congress of the People (COPE) andthe DA, the ANC will maintain its two-thirds majority in parliament.
Because of the overwhelmingsupport the ANC enjoys among ordinary South African's the ruling party'spresidential candidate Jacob Zuma is expected to be elected as South Africa'snext president after the April 22 general elections.
The ANC received asignificant boost ahead of the upcoming elections after graft charges againstJacob Zuma were dropped by the National Prosecuting Authority. The moveinfuriated the opposition who vowed to seek legal council on their next line ofaction against the ANC leader.