ZUMA TO LEAD ANC’S VIRTUAL MEMORIAL ACTIVITIES FOR ANDREW MLANGENI
The anti-apartheid activist had been vocal about corruption in government and voiced strong views about taking action against those involved in wrongdoing. And some may find it ironic that former President Jacob Zuma will be kickstarting Friday’s tributes.
JOHANNESBURG – The African National Congress (ANC) on Friday announced that former President Jacob Zuma would lead tributes for the late struggle stalwart Andrew Mlangeni when the governing party holds a series of virtual memorial activities in the afternoon.
The last of the Rivonia Trialists died in Pretoria this week at the age of 95-years-old.
The anti-apartheid activist had been vocal about corruption in government and voiced strong views about taking action against those involved in wrongdoing. And some may find it ironic that Zuma will be kickstarting Friday’s tributes.
In 2017, Mlangeni called on the ANC’s top six to bring an end to corruption under the leadership of Zuma.
“We should value [freedom] and not squander it as we are doing now. We should diligently keep guard of it … I don’t know if we are keeping guard of this freedom that we have, or whether some people are squandering it,” City Press reported at the time.
At the time, Mlangeni was the head of the ANC’s integrity commission and formed part of the elders of the party that had pushed for Zuma to resign.
Another member of the elders, ANC veteran Mavuso Msimang, said that Mlangeni was a respectful man and found it difficult to take this decision.
“For him to have said what he said, it means that the situation had gotten very bad, and of course it hurt,” Msimang said.
Other struggle heroes like Ronnie Kasrils this week paid tribute to Mlangeni and praised him for taking a strong stance against corruption.
“He was as honest as the day was long. We saw how he spoke out against the corruption of the Zuma years, and put the best integrity of the ANC that he knew and had served,” Kasrils said.
‘ZUMA MUST GO BACK TO ROBBEN ISLAND’
Mlangeni was imprisoned on Robben Island for 26 years, ten of those years was spent alongside Zuma.
In 2018, Mlangeni told News24 that if Zuma was found guilty of corruption, he should go back to Robben Island.
“It doesn’t matter if it is the president; it doesn’t matter who it is, if Zuma is convicted of corruption, he must be sent to jail. Zuma must go back to Robben Island,” Mlangeni was quoted as saying.
Zuma is expected back in the Pietermaritzburg High Court in September on charges of corruption linked to the multibillion-rand Arms Deal.
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