Thembile Ndabeni
Cape Town - Like it or not, “when the ANC sneezes the country and the world catches a cold”.
The ANC is the governing party, and therefore who it chooses as its leader affects the country generally.
As it does the world because markets become nervous and react.
Although Cyril Ramaphosa won his presidency campaign at his party’s 55th conference, there was the Phala Phala matter hovering over his head.
He had four hurdles to get through. Two were based on Phala Phala and the other on the party. And there was another, his predecessor Jacob Zuma.
He overcame the first two. It was not easy to get through the others.
With the first, the section 89 issue, Ramaphosa had to go through Parliament. People from within and outside the party “ganged up” on him.
Some parties and their leaders voted “yes”. Opportunists, like the DA, wanted the president to step down, so that Parliament could form a government until the 2024 general elections.
Then there were the enemies from within and outside the ANC who wanted the deputy, whom they perceived as non-partisan, to take over from Ramaphosa.
These are the people who face allegations and cases of corruption. From within are Ace Magashule and Mosebenzi Zwane.
Outside of the party are EFF leader Julius Malema and his Red Berets.
Nevertheless, Ramaphosa survived. That was also to be used as a weapon on the second one. His enemies from within sharpened their knives as if they were preparing to attack. At the centre was the “comrade” he previously deputised for in the party and government, Zuma, a misleader who mobilised “children” against elders, in much the same way that he did to former president Thabo Mbeki.
Zuma’s followers, especially the young, must not continue with his rot, but rather start on a clean slate.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal must come to its senses and realise that Zuma has lost his spark. To present Zuma as a victim, when he is the culprit, is to deceive people.
Therefore, they must extract themselves from his spell. They must let Zuma face his offences.
Zuma once said he was not scared of jail. Why then is he hiding behind other people, especially the “children”, the youthful KZN ANC leadership in particular? When he is supposed to go to jail, the likes of Mzwanele Manyi cry foul.
The ANC must pay attention to the last hurdles faced by its president, Ramaphosa. Mostly, it should spend time in introspection without deceiving itself about self-correction.
It must come down hard on all wrongdoing, be democratic and not allow pandemonium and anarchy. It must allow no one to interfere with state institutions.
Should it fail to do all this, it must kiss the majority vote goodbye.
For that to happen, the ANC must sacrifice the rotten apples. The mixture it elected at the conference probably has 50% rotten ones.
They will spoil the whole bag unless they do something drastic. They are the ones walking under the dark cloud of corruption.
The same applies to its membership, hooligans who point at its president, gangs and killers. The ANC must strive against producing headstrong demagogues, untouchables, gangsters, thugs, criminals, careerists, non-law abiding people and dynasties.
It must nip such evil in the bud. The party must take three important steps: screen its membership, establish a political school and be tough on ill-discipline.
Generally, the ANC must implement policies to end crime, corruption, poverty, unemployment, inequality and racism. It is long overdue.
The party must come down hard on racists and make sure they are treated no better than other criminals in jail.
For all that to happen, the other 80 national executive committee members must not sit in their offices, they should travel the country, listening to and addressing people’s needs and complaints.
Ndabeni is a former history tutor at UWC and a former teacher at Bulumko Senior Secondary School in Khayelitsha.
Cape Times