More calls have been made again for President Jacob Zuma and some members in the current party’s NEC to resign. This has emerged during the memorial service of struggle stalwart Violet Matlou at the Akasia Community Hall Wonderpark, north of Pretoria.
Clad in the party’s famous green, yellow and black regalia – scores of African National Congress staunch members and party stalwarts packed the Akasia Community Hall to remember the fallen party heroin.
Ninety-seven-year-old Matlou, together with her late husband Joe, established the first ANC offices outside the borders of South Africa at Lobatse in Botswana.
Violet was one of the founder members of the ANCWL and its first Chairperson outside the country.
Speaking to mourners at the hall, party struggle veteran Cholo Tlou said the current ANC did no longer represent the principles he and Violet Matlou carried.
“The ANC seem to have lost direction through the present leadership. Gupta have come in; they are being bought with money. They have become so corrupt. Zuma must walk out; he must walk out! How many times and how many people have been telling him? We are enough now! He has done enough; he must go. Even those that work with him … they must go.”
Former Minister of Public Works Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabide, who is also an ANC Women’s League member, says the current ANC formations, including the Women’s League have lost relevancy.
“I think there is a lot we can learn and the most important thing to learn is relevance. We need to be relevant to the issues and circumstances we find ourselves in. We need to be focal like the ANCWL used to be vocal and things happen. The league is silent. What we see today is that there are number of girls and people in general that go through a lot and when you expect the voice of the league is silent.”
Matlou’s elder daughter, Boshigo, says, “We want South Africa to remember that there are people who unselfishly gave their life for this nation; people who came to the ANC not to be paid. She is one of those people. When the ANC said to her husband to leave and work outside South Africa, she followed with all six of her children.”
Mourners have commended and described the late Violet Matlou as a unifier, who welcomed struggle fighters coming from South Africa into Botswana with a warmth heart. Meanwhile, her funeral service has been set for Saturday next week.
