ANC National Chairperson and Minister of Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe’s critical comments of the poor and unemployed has been slammed as reckless and insensitive to their plight. Gwede Mantashe’s blunt comments about poor and unemployed South Africans could further undermine the ANC heading into the upcoming local government elections this year. That is the view of political experts, with others warning that the remarks indicate that South Africans “must choose wisely in the next local government elections”.
Political commentators, labour organisations, and opposition parties have all criticised the remarks made by Mantashe, where he stated that South Africans have become too dependent on the government for everything they seek “while they sit in the sun”. The ANC national chairperson further stated that South Africans are not actively looking for jobs and expect the government to find them employment. When asked about the public’s reaction to this statement, Mantashe’s office said the minister is busy with the ANC’s January 8 celebrations and might not be in a position to comment.
An ANC leader defended Mantashe, stating that the overall message was not intended to speak negatively about South Africans. South African Federation of Trade Union leader Zwelinzima Vavi said, “Mantashe is a typical example of the saying — me first, to hell with everyone else. He has truly arrived with his family.
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He is on top of the roof and is now kicking the ladder. “He is so insensitive, and his remarks amount to spitting in the face of the unemployed, thanks to the dismally failing economic policies his government has pursued for three decades, often to please the IMF and the World Bank.” ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said, “The remarks were unfortunate, reckless, and provide South Africans with a chance to see Minister Mantashe for who he truly is: a politician who went into politics to serve his own personal interests. “I hope these remarks serve as a wake-up call for South Africans, particularly the majority who are not exercising their voting rights and power.
The ANC government is not the future of South Africa. They have misled and betrayed us for the last 31 years,” he said. Political commentator Makhosini Mgitywa said the minister should not have spoken in such a manner.
It suggests that there are jobs available and it is only jobseekers who aren’t coming to the party. That’s both insensitive and pedestrian. We all see thousands of young people in long queues to apply for a few dozen jobs that come up from time to time.
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