Former ambassador to Cuba Justice Piitso has accused President Cyril Ramapahosa of being a monopoly capitalist and petty bourgeoisie leader who has failed to enforce unity in the governing party.
Describing Ramaphosa’s administration as social chauvinists, Piitso, who is also the leader of the SACP, said: “They have unleashed the false aristocracy of the people, the lumpen proletariat, to undermine the fabric of our revolution.
“I refer to the hustlers who have elected to sell the soul of our movement to the highest bidder. Vladimir Lenin [former Russian leader] refers to such category of people as social chauvinists within the ranks of the working class.
“He refers to them as a section of the working class that has been bribed to assist the bourgeoisie to plunder and oppress the weak.”
Piitso, the former transport MEC in Limpopo, said however that while members of the ANC have joined the chorus calling for the unity and renewal of the party, Ramaphosa has failed to champion unity, saying the exercise will be futile.
He lashed out further and said the governing party is facing an identity crisis and factionalism that destroy what is left of the former liberation movement.
“The word unity has become a catchword of the movement across the spectrum of the membership and the leadership of our revolutionary alliance formations. We cannot achieve this important task of unity and renewal of the ANC if we cannot renew alliance partners [the SACP, trade union federation Cosatu, and the South African National Civic Organisation].”
Piitso argued further that the trade unions have become a shadow of their former selves. “We need a robust debate about the growing phenomenon of elevating public sector unions at the expense of the industrial trade unions.
“We need to build a stronger mass-based civic movement capable of taking on the immediate challenges facing our people, a civic movement that will be the true committee for the defence of our revolution.”
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