Ace blames ANC divisions on right-wing and left-wing populism

ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule says self-serving tendencies of opportunism, crass materialism, triumphalism, as well as right-wing and left-wing populism, are behind the current troubles besetting the ANC.

“These are the worrisome tendencies that, if not attended to, have the preponderance to erode the moral fibre of our revolution,” Magashule said.

He condemned these tendencies, and called for unity and renewal in the party, values that he said should be based on a clear ideological and theoretical understanding of their true meaning.

He further said the views of the majority and the outcomes of the internal democratic processes must be respected, as not everybody could be elected into leadership positions.

“Unity and renewal is at the heart of the organisational building and development. The fundamental revolutionary principle of unity and renewal is essentially about democratic centralism and inner party democracy. We will not be able to achieve this strategic objective if we do not comprehend the overall thrust of the true political connotation of this concept,” he said.

In his political input to the Limpopo ANC provincial conference at the weekend, Magashule said unity was not about give and take, and said elected leadership position was not about self-aggrandisement, but was a responsibility given by the people.

“There are those amongst us who think that unity and renewal is about marginalising those who are seen not to have not made it to the elected positions of responsibility within the ranks of our movement. This is becoming a dangerous tendency that we have to give our utmost political attention,” he said.

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“What is of importance is for all of us to appreciate the principle of the views of the majority. There are those who think that in as long as their names are not amongst those elected by the views of the majority of our branches, they will continue to undermine the elected constitutional structures of the movement.

“As long as they cannot be elected into positions of leadership, they will have all the courage to take the internal matters of our organisation to the court of law. What is surprising is that they have the audacity to take the movement to court even before they can exhaust our internal process.”

The ANC had the responsibility to teach its members who could not understand this to appreciate the importance of respecting the democratic outcomes of its internal processes, he said.

“We cannot all be elected into positions of responsibility. It is in the nature of democracy, but also affirming the democratic character of our revolutionary movement, that there will be those who will make it and others will not. It is therefore impossible that you can all be elected into the provincial executive committee,” Magashule said.

Supra Mahumapelo, left, is seen at a press conference at Luthuli House, 23 May 2018, where he announced that he would be going on early retirement, thus leaving his post as premier of the North West Province. With him is ANC secretary general Ace Magashule. Picture: Michel Bega

“We also need to guard against those who use their elected positions to abuse their power to sideline and marginalise other members of the ANC. It is the task of those who are elected to ensure that they embrace others,” he said.

“The greatest enemy of the ANC is the ANC itself, and the only thing to save the ANC is the ANC itself. The ANC can only survive into the next generations of its members appreciate the historical necessity of the principal theory of unity and cohesion.

“The only way to achieve unity is to tolerate each other, is to harness each other, is to accept different views, is to learn to be inclusive. The common feature of the tendencies of the winner-takes-all taking root within the ranks of our movement is counterrevolutionary,” he said.

“Without achieving unity and cohesion, the ANC would not be able to realise the revolutionary task for the radical socioeconomic transformation of our society.”

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