Speaker, Your Excellency the President, Your Excellency the Deputy President, hon Ministers, hon Deputy Ministers and hon members, within the opening moments of his state of the nation address, our President indicated that his administration is building on the foundation laid by the former President, His Excellency Nelson Mandela.
In certain respects this is true, but in one fundamental way that foundation is being quietly eroded and systematically destroyed. If I fail to point this out, I will find myself complicit in our country's failure.
Quoting former President Mandela's inaugural address of 1994, in which he called on South Africa to work together, the President admitted that government cannot achieve its goals alone. I applaud the President for announcing this as the year for job creation, and I concur with his intention to rope in the private sector and other components of our society. One must compliment the President for placing the focus on resolving this most dire crisis, unemployment.
In the past we have tended to rely too heavily on the Expanded Public Works Programme, EPWP, which has created temporary jobs rather than a sustainable employment blueprint. We need to become serious about addressing job creation by working together as a team across all spheres, even spanning political divides. This will require a measure of attitude adjustment within government, and the courage to reconsider our hostile labour laws.
If we want to create jobs, we must create industries that are viable in the long term and do not require a constant stream of state subsidies to survive. Unless this is done, South Africa will remain a welfare state, rather than the developmental state that we dream of. The inescapable reality of a welfare state is that it cannot survive in the long run.
I agree that we need to seek wisdom from former President Mandela's words in 1994, not by taking sound bites that suit our rhetoric, but by taking to heart the message of national reconciliation. Former President Mandela and I, as the leaders of our respective parties, did our utmost to achieve reconciliation.
We worked together for the sake of unity and peace, knowing that our example would be emulated and that the message of reconciliation would filter down to the grassroots communities, where violence and conflict had been the norm for too many years. I believe that when government does the right thing, the people will follow.
I worked with former President Mandela in the Government of National Unity and supported the work of our country's leadership. Even when former President Mbeki dropped me from his Cabinet ... [Laughter.] ... I continued to support the work of government. Even when former President Mbeki was maligned by some of you, I supported him as Head of State.
Last year, during the state of the nation debate, I confirmed again that I would support our President, because I know that his failure would be the failure of our country. I reiterate that undertaking that I will support our President when he does the right thing for the people of South Africa.
Former President Mandela laid a foundation for reconciliation. I have given my heart and soul to reconciliation. Yet, under President Zuma's leadership, reconciliation has been muscled off the agenda. This is not an easy criticism to make, but I have committed myself to speak truth to power, regardless of how unpopular it might make me. And at this time in our history, it is no longer a question of popularity or diplomacy. There comes a time when it is necessary to simply speak the truth.
I have been criticised and ridiculed for what some call a diversionary tactic, when I complain that some leaders within the ANC are deeply embroiled in the rift that developed in my party ... [Laughter.] ... which eventually led to our former national chairperson's splitting away and the formation of a new party.
Yilaba abanonembeza ababanga umsindo. [Those who are making noise are the guilty ones.]
But I am not the one to cry wolf, particularly when tensions between the ANC and IFP contain the nascent threat of taking us back to a time of violence and bloodshed. I know that even my mention of this will be misinterpreted. Before the eruption of the internecine, low-intensity civil war that raged in this country between supporters of the ANC and IFP, I repeatedly warned that we were heading for disaster.
The ANC's determined pursuit of political hegemony then threw our communities into turmoil and tensions were mounting. Whenever I spoke about the imminence of violence, however, I was labelled a warmonger; as though I could make the future happen simply by predicting it. I pray this is not the case, because I stand before you today predicting that if our leadership does not honestly commit to reconciliation, then democracy in South Africa will perish. [Interjections.]
There is clear evidence that some leaders - some leaders - of the ANC have provided their political assistance, massive financial resources and moral support to the efforts to destroy the IFP and oust me as its leader. [Laughter.]
Some may think that this has nothing to do with the state of the nation address or how we regard the ANC as the ruling party and Mr Zuma as our President. Yet it is part and parcel of how we, as a nation, are to read, receive and believe in what was said last Thursday by our President.
Can Mr Zuma be trusted as the President of South Africa while he is distrusted as the President of the ANC? [Interjections.] Can we believe in his commitment to democracy while he is involved in undermining it at grassroots level? [Interjections.]
Listen! Why do I say these things? Listen! On 16 July 2010, at his invitation, I met with President Zuma at King's House in Durban. He advised me that, due to the ructions in my party, I should step down as the leader of the IFP. I respect our President as the head of state and thus took no exception to his suggestion. Yet I replied that his advice would carry more weight were it not for the ANC's role in our problems.
I told the President of the extensive evidence I have of the ANC manipulating the internal democratic processes within the IFP and using dirty-trick techniques to undermine me. Massive sums of money were changing hands, promises were made and violence was once again resorted to to subjugate people or elicit their allegiance.
I mentioned public remarks made by the hon Minister of Human Settlements, Minister Tokyo Sexwale, that the IFP was persecuting its national chairperson. I also pointed out interference by the ANC Women's League in KwaZulu-Natal, particularly Mrs Gcabashe, who were all saying that we were persecuting our national chairperson.
The President seemed surprised by what I was relating to him, although these were documented incidents, which were widely covered by the media. He committed to confer with the Deputy President, His Excellency Kgalema Motlanthe, and said that they might reproach Minister Sexwale together. Yet on 18 August 2010 I met with Deputy President Motlanthe after I had requested him to give me an appointment, and he was taken by surprise by the things I told him. The President had not apprised him of our conversation. They had not discussed it at all.
Matters had deteriorated since my meeting with the President, as members of the ANC Women's League had taken advantage of the Women's Parliament hosted by the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature to hurl insults at me and declare their support for Mrs Zanele Magwaza-Msibi. They sang, "Zanele is ours". [Interjections.]