The African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) has lambasted a "frivolous motion by DA-led coalition of opposition parties" to remove President Jacob Zuma, calling for society to "expose the hidden agenda [by the DA] to maintain the status quo".
Keeping in line with its fervent support of Zuma the group, in a statement issued on Sunday night, denounced efforts to remove a "democratically elected president" in the vote of no confidence to take place on Tuesday in Parliament.
National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete was expected to announce whether the vote will be held in secret on Monday afternoon.
ANCWL secretary general Meokgo Matuba rejected efforts by the Democratic Alliance "supported by some neo-liberal media houses who are the advocates of white supremacy" to advance colour revolution and regime change in the country.
Matuba also criticised the "pseudo-activism" of vocal civil society critics of Zuma including SaveSA's Sipho Pityana, Reverend Ziphozihle Siwa and former deputy minister of finance Mcebisi Jonas.
Jonas, she wrote, had "consciously agreed to be co-opted into this agenda... out of frustration of being reshuffled from the cabinet". The former deputy minister of finance turned activist released a video shared on social media calling South Africans to support the motion against Zuma and suggesting the country may be witnessing the beginning of a new national movement.
#McebisiJonas who refused R600 million #Gupta bribe says why he is joining #PeoplesMarch 7 August. @Zwelinzima1@AndiMakinana@Eusebiuspic.twitter.com/uv6U4NWcPB
— Zackie Achmat (@ZackieAchmat) August 5, 2017
The ANCWL derided the video, saying it confirmed a "regime change agenda" in South Africa, and pleaded with "Cde Mcebisi and al comrades in the movement to accept that deployment is not a right and serving in cabinet is at the behest of the President".
Regime change advocates including Sipho Pityana, in co-operation with organisations like Save SA and the Methodist Church of Southern Africa, she said, were "have been quite [sic] when companies were found guilty of collusion, banks manipulating the Rand, [and] mines are not complying to Social and Labour Plans and retrenching workers...".
"Their pseudo activism was revived by their rejection to the discussions within the ruling party about fundamentally changing the structure, systems, institutions and patterns of ownership, management and control of the economy in favour of all South Africans, especially the poor, the majority of whom are African and female," the statement said.
The achievements of President Jacob Zuma "and his collective" make the ANCWL proud, it said, adding a government run by the DA would mean the "status quo of skewed racial economic and land ownership will not be tempered with".
The incumbent president will face his eighth vote of no confidence in Parliament on Tuesday 8 August.