The meeting between the leader of Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) leader, Jacob Zuma and Kallie Kriel, the leader of AfriForum in Durban last week would not see the party deviating from its radical and pro-black policies, the MKP said.
After the meeting Kriel, a senior leader of the AfriForum, issued a statement describing the meeting as constructive and announced that more meetings would follow.
According to Kriel, the meeting discussed the value of mother tongue education, the promotion of mutual recognition and respect between cultural communities, agricultural development in traditional communities and Section 235 of the South African Constitution. This section of the constitution deals with the rights of communities with common cultural values and language.
In his statement on the outcomes of the meeting, Kriel said as a civil society organisation his group remains outside of party politics and work for the next generation rather than the next election.
“In securing a better future for the next generation, we are committed to engaging with all stakeholders in South Africa, even though we may differ on certain issues. We are committed to helping find solutions to the challenges the country and all its people face,” said Kriel.
However, the MKP’s spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said the meeting could not be viewed as a change of heart with regard to the MKP’s radical and pro-black policies.
He said that Zuma made it clear to Kriel that the MKP wants the government to be controlled by the people who are the majority and all sectors of the economy must benefit the majority, black people in particular.
Weighing in on the meeting, political analyst Professor Lesiba Teffo said the meeting indicated that ideology means nothing in today’s politics and what matters is a common national interest.
He said politics had evolved to a point where you can expect anything from politicians.
“If AfriForum and MKP policies can take the country forward, why would they not meet in the best interests of the country? Who would have thought that Bheki Cele and other former ANC cabinet ministers would be sitting at home. It tells you how politics has evolved. The AfriForum MKP meeting emphasises that in politics there are no permanent friends nor permanent enemies,” said Teffo.
AfriForum had been highly critical of Zuma and his administration while he was the president of the country which saw both parties being in and out court for the most duration of Zuma’s presidency and beyond.
In 2015, AfriForum accused Zuma of sowing ethnic conflict for his remarks with regard to the arrival of Jan van Riebeeck. The group was instrumental in pushing for the reinstatement of Zuma’s corruption charges, emanating from the arms deal.
In 2016 AfriForum also established a private prosecution unit under former State Prosecutor Adv. Gerrie Nel with the specific aim of applying pressure on the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to prosecute Jacob Zuma for corruption.
willem.phungula@inl.co.za
