Stalwarts of the African National Congress (ANC) have requested a meeting with President Jacob Zuma and the top five members of the National Executive Committee following the political developments in the country and within the ANC.

The ANC stalwarts include veterans such as Andrew Mlangeni, Ahmed Kathtrada, Essop Pahad and Cheryl Carolus.

They gathered in Johannesburg on Thursday to launch the report “For the sake of our future” of which they are signatories and which is addressed to those six party officials who head its NEC.

The document intends to form the basis of discussions between Zuma, his fellow senior officials and the party’s stalwarts.

ANC veteran leader Reverend Frank Chikane said that consultations between various stalwarts had taken place regarding the state of the country and he added that the stalwarts had taken it upon themselves to compile a document addressing their concerns.

“Veterans feel it’s critical to have a direct interaction with President Zuma to discuss the pressing issues that are negatively impacting the country. We have decided to go public because wherever we go people ask us about what is happening. They expect the elders to act,” stated Chikane.

He said the veterans meeting was historic.

“A meeting of this magnitude has never been called,” he said, adding that it indicated the level of concern at the direction the country was taking, as well as concern for the ANC movement.

Concerns in the document included poor crisis management displayed by the ANC leadership on urgent and serious matters, inadequate response to allegations of corruption and the “State capture” of sections of government by interested groups, especially of State-owned Enterprises as detailed by the recently released ‘State of Capture’ report by former Public Protector Thuli  Madonsela.

Carolus said many stalwarts had paid the price and had suffered during the apartheid years.

“We are proud of the scars we have because we were fighting for the country. Like many in South Africa, we understand the centrality of a well-respected ANC. We are deeply upset about the [current] state of our ANC,” she said.

Carolus went on to say over 10-million people who had voted the ANC into power shared the same concerns.

“Our country is burning and ANC is missing in action,” she stated.

Carolus went on to express her dismay regarding the allegations in the ‘State of Capture’ report, with Zuma’s regular visits to the Gupta compound in Johannesburg being of great concern.

“At the centre of this [State capture] behaviour sits our President and the people he has surrounded himself with,” she added.  

The events brought shame to the ANC and the country, Carolus said, adding that Zuma had abused State powers to harm those who had tried to do their jobs – people like Madonsela, former Hawks head Anwar Dramat and Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

However, she pointed out that South Africans should remain aware of how many people of good standing remained ANC members.

She further added that the veterans were also concerned about the recent assassinations of ANC members and said that this behaviour had no place in a democratic country.

Meanwhile, ANC veteran Morobe Murphy said it was important for the stalwarts to remind the ANC of its values. 

“It can only benefit [members of] the ANC to remember what democratic values [the party] had,” he explained.

He went on to praise the South African media for closely reporting alleged acts of corruption and state capture.