Lamola says reports of foul play in final Zondo Commission report are unfounded

The ANC National Working Committee (NWC) member, Ronald Lamola, says claims that the Zondo Commission report is directed from somewhere and aims at hitting certain people are unfounded.

While addressing the masses at a rally by the Young Communist League of South Africa (YCLSA) to commemorate the youth of 1976 in Ficksburg, in the Free State, Lamola stressed that all those who are implicated in the report will face the full might of the law.

Lamola says the NWC is going through the reports and is working on implementation.

He says it is not going to be an easy task, but rather a painful one, especially when it is those who are close to them.

“Sometimes it’s our friends, our family members, our comrades but the law is the law. For us, to restore the trust and confidence of our people in society, what is in that report must be implemented. Obviously, there is a beginning of conspiracies that are being directed from somewhere, which we must dispute and there is no such. There is no one who directed the judge to do his job.”

The SACP’s First Deputy General Secretary, Solly Mapaila, says those implicated must be made to account… 
 
“People must not run away from accountability, by trying to attack and condemn the commission’s report. We must thank Chief Justice Zondo for the work that he has done. SA owes them a great latitude of respect. The communist party, as you know, even though Zondo and everyone don’t say it, we were the first to call for this commission.” 

The league says the structure of the economy should include the youth. And that a generational mix is essential in key positions.  

The YCL believes that the youth bear the brunt of the triple crisis of the economy. This is what some of the young people had to say. 

“We have young people that have lot of businesses but yet the government is not investing into those businesses. For instance, we no longer have local economy. Our local economy has been taken over by foreigners,” says young person. 

“They need to create jobs and we should not depend on government. So, what we need government to do is to give us land so that we can do agriculture,” says another.

The YCL’s National Secretary, Tinyiko Ntini, says South African youth have nothing to celebrate amid the high unemployment rate.

“While we commemorate the youth of 1976 there is nothing to celebrate when unemployment is growing so much, especially for young people. And there is no clear plan because even the economic reconstruction recovery plan the way it’s centered and anchored around neo-liberal policy trajectory and which continues to widen this gap of inequality and employment.”

NWC member of the ANC, Ronald Lamola, says it is high time for the youth to occupy strategic positions. Lamola who is also Justice and Correctional Services Minister lamented those who are questioning the justice system and the Zondo Commission’s report.

Meanwhile, the youth of Meqheleng have appealed to the government to build a TVET College in the area.