Johannesburg - Former United Democratic Front (UDF) leader Dr Allan Boesak has spoken out against the “preferential treatment” afforded to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Boesak, who was speaking to Newzroom Afrika on Tuesday, said Ramaphosa was treated with kid gloves compared to his predecessor, Jacob Zuma.
He said the anger at the state of the nation shown by Ramaphosa’s faction is selective and questionable.
“I have difficulty with the group because of the selectivity in which their indignation about the state of the nation has been expressed. I say so because of the letter. This group has invited me a number of times to come and speak. I have declined those invitations because I though this is not right and this is not the faction that should be supported.
“While they were very clear and very vocal about the situation in which Mr Zuma has been dragging the country, I say rightly that there was a lot to be upset about, but when it came to the things about Mr Ramaphosa that began to surface, they remained quiet,” he said.
He said the ANC had condemned Zuma while failing to condemn the many wrongdoings Ramaphosa had been involved in.
Some of these include the Phala Phala farm robbery, where millions of American dollars were allegedly stolen in February 2020.
“There is indignation about Zuma, but there is no indignation or concern for Mr Ramaphosa from his faction about the things he has been accused of. That, to me, is not right because the indignation is only about a certain person and what that person does, not an ethical indignation at what a person in any leadership position should be doing.
“If the indignation is not about the damage he is doing to your own political party to defend, then that is a dangerous indignation, which is not something I want to be associated with,” he said.
Boesak’s scathing remarks come just days after he refused an invitation to join Popo Molefe and other members of the UDF’s 40-year “Call to Action” celebrations set for August 20.
“Thank you very much for the invitation and for your patience. You honoured me by inviting me to be a part of this event, which under different circumstances would have brought great joy to my heart. You and I had been comrades in the UDF, and we shared so much of the dreams and hopes of our people in those extraordinary times.
“I will, in return, honour you by trying to be as honest as I can. I am writing this letter rather than talking on the telephone so that I can be as clear as possible and there would be no misunderstanding on why I will not be joining you in this effort and in your celebrations of the UDF on August 20,” parts of the letter read.
The Star