In yet another viciously critical scrutiny of the current state of the African National Congress (ANC), former president Thabo Mbeki has warned should the current state of unemployment, poverty, and inequality continue to persist, South Africa may experience a violent uprising.

"One of my fears, comrades, is that we are going to have our own version of the Arab Spring. Remember what happened in Tunisia … it was because problems were brewing under the surface, and the anarchy just needed a little spark.

"I am saying that one of my fears is that the same thing will happen to us. You can't have so many people unemployed, so many people living in poverty, faced with lawlessness and faced with corrupt leadership and not expect the situation to not one day explode," said Mbeki.

The Report of Expert Panel on July 2021 unrest revealed a melting pot of circumstances that encompass the country's triple challenge of high levels of inequality, poverty and unemployment were at the heart of the violent uprising and looting that threatened to mimic the Arab Spring.

Mbeki said this during his keynote address at the national memorial service for the late ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte who died on Sunday after a long struggle with cancer. 

The service was held at the Johannesburg City Hall on Thursday.

Mbeki went on to echo sentiments expressed by the newly elected South African Communist Party general-secretary Solly Mapaila who said the governing party's leadership was failing to discharge its responsibility to lead, leaving the country on autopilot. 

Mbeki added: "… while we [ANC members] may differ with this statement [by Mapaila]. I think that the fact that it was made by a general-secretary of an alliance partner means that there is something that is wrong. 

"We can’t just dismiss that statement, and to honour the legacy of comrade Jessie Duarte we need to address this." 

He was unwavering in that for the ANC to truly honour Duarte; it could only do so through truly renewing the organisation and not just paying lip service. 

Mbeki did not mince his words, saying: "To respect Duarte's legacy, we must embark on practical actions, not slogans."

He said the ANC had, at its national conference in December 2017, taken an important decision to renew itself for the sake of its own survival, but four-and-a-half years later, deliberations were still being made on the definition of what renewal meant, and no tangible action had been taken. 

"It's a very, very simple and straightforward matter, but four-and-a-half years later, we still have this matter on our agenda for the upcoming policy conference.

"That is one of the things that we must address. It's a challenging task, a challenging job because even in the 49th conference in December 1994, comrades at the conference were saying we have begun to inherit people in the ANC who are not ANC.

"People who are coming into the organisation in order to use it as a stepladder to positions of state power in order to accumulate worth for themselves. 

That message has been made in all conferences of the ANC since then, so I am saying renewal is going to mean, among other things, ridding ourselves of these people who have joined the movement for self-service and to enrich themselves.

"We need to go beyond deciding what is the definition of renewal to acting of the renewal, that is to honour the legacy of Jessie Duarte," said Mbeki. 

He also criticised what he described as the ANC's failure to implement a national plan to address the challenges of poverty, unemployment, and inequality. 

"We do not have a national plan to address the challenges of poverty, unemployment, and inequality; it does not exist. To truly serve the people requires us to address this.

"Comrade President Cyril Ramaphosa when he delivered the State of the Nation Address in February said in 100 days there must be an agreed upon social compact to address these matters, nothing has happened. To honour the legacy of comrade Jessie, we have got to do something about that," said the Mbeki. 

He served his worst criticism for the ANC's failure at local government level, saying this was more worrying because this was the government sphere that directly affected the masses. 

"We must address local government. The reports of the Auditor-General always come out and point a finger at councils that are particularly led by the ANC. That level of government is in direct contact with the majority of the people, and it is failing them so much; what message are we saying to the masses?" said Mbeki.