Minister of Water and Sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane banged the radical economic transformation drum and voiced her support for Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, without mentioning her name, when she addressed members of Sasco at the University of the Western Cape on Tuesday evening.

Mokonyane said that it was at the Mangaung elective conference in 2012 where it was decided to enter into the second phase of the national democratic revolution, meaning that political emancipation has to be translated in economic emancipation.

"It is an indictment for South Africa to have graduates standing under the streetlights begging for jobs," she said.

"Political power without economic power is useless."

She said it was decided at Mangaung to "shake up the system".

"We don’t like being called historically disadvantaged, we want to be advantaged."

"We all said it has to be radical economic transformation." "White monopoly capital remains the enemy of our people," she said, using the phrase that gained notoriety through its use by the Guptas' former spin doctors Bell Pottinger.

'Boys from the men'

"Radical economic transformations talks about insisting on and ensuring those that have been disadvantaged in their own country must not be the beneficiaries of the mine dump but must be beneficiaries of what has come out of the mines."

She said the second phase of the transition will "separate the boys from the men".

"Because there will be many who have been with us, but came to accept the status quo."

Many institutions have been captured by white monopoly capital and the regime change agenda has become the biggest challenge, she said.

She also warned against those who say there is a certain culture in the African National Congress (ANC) on who it must elect to become its next president, and those who say the ANC will lose the election if certain people are not elected.

Although Mokonyane never said outright that she supports Dlamini-Zuma to become the next ANC president, when she listed the attributes of what she termed "my preference", it was clear she had the former chairperson of the African Union and longstanding member of the ANC in mind.

She said Dlamini-Zuma was Steve Biko's "deputy" in the Black Consciousness Movement, and as minister went "toe to toe" with one of South Africa's richest men Johan Rupert and the British politician Peter Hain while she served as minister.