Dennis Bloem accuses Cyril Ramaphosa of being a ‘spineless leader’
Durban — Former ANC and Cope leader Dennis Bloem, once former president Jacob Zuma’s most vocal critic, has criticised the current government led by Cyril Ramaphosa, saying corruption is more rampant now than during Zuma’s tenure.
Bloem, who is now the spokesperson of the Activists and Citizens Forum social movement, took a dig at Ramaphosa, labelling him as a “spineless leader”.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa is a spineless leader. All these years, he pretended that he was a fighter against corruption. Instead, the opposite is true. He is an ANC President who would rather protect his corrupt comrades,” said Bloem in a statement issued by the Activists and Citizens Forum.
Ramaphosa is leading the Government of National Unity (GNU), a power pact formed after the May elections failed to produce an outright winner. It includes, among others, the DA, IFP and Patriotic Alliance (PA).
“It is very sad to say corruption in the country is worse under President Cyril Ramaphosa than it was under former president Jacob Zuma’s administration,” he added.
This is a startling change of tune by Bloem, who was known for publicly attacking Zuma during his time as president between 2009 and 2018.
The attacks from Bloem increased in the latter years of Zuma’s presidency after the surfacing of alleged ties with the business Gupta family.
In a statement, Bloem said: “Since the passing of Pravin Gordhan (who was buried last week on Thursday), every leader, ordinary citizen who stands up to speak about him, has referred to him as a corruption buster. Retired Chief Justice Raymond Zondo paid tribute to Pravin, saying he was an honest and brave man who assisted the Zondo Commission immensely with information.”
By standing against corruption, Gordhan was putting his life in danger, said Bloem.
“Pravin Gordhan became an enemy of his comrades in the ANC, wolves in sheepskin, and thieves pretending to be leaders of the people,” he said.
He turned his eye on the Gauteng legislature, alleging it was littered with “serious corruption allegations”.
“It is reported that senior members of the ANC members of the legislature are accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ money. Nothing is happening to them. It is business as usual.
“The only way that President Ramaphosa and the ANC can honour the brave fight of Pravin Gordhan against corruption is to remove all those who were fingered in the Zondo Commission report from any leadership positions and Parliament,” stated Bloem.
Bloem was part of the legion of ANC leaders who ditched the party and formed Cope in 2008 when Zuma thumped former ANC president Thabo Mbeki during the watershed Polokwane conference in 2007.
However, with rising tensions and dropping support, Bloem dumped Cope last year, saying he was tired of “stomach politics”.
Cope, which won 30 seats after contesting elections for the first time in 2009, failed to get a seat in the National Assembly in the latest elections.
Ramaphosa attended the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, ending on Monday.
Questions were sent to the spokesperson of the presidency, Vincent Magwenya, but he had not responded by the time of publication.
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