ANC past its sell-by date, but don’t count on support from left to save SA

The ANC’s “sell-by date” may have passed, but there is little chance that its partners in Cosatu and the SACP would support the governing party being removed from power, because that’s tantamount to biting the hand that feeds them.

Political analysts say this knowledge keeps President Cyril Ramaphosa safe in power, despite the countless scandals of his party, including the PPE scandal involving his spokesperson, Khusela Diko’s husband, the Gauteng Department of Health MEC Bandile Masuku and his wife Loyiso.

The experts say Ramaphosa is a weak ANC leader and continues to lose power, but the alliance on the left would protect him because they benefit from his rule.

Political analyst, Xolani Dube, from the Xubera Institute for Research and Development, said the ANC’s alliance partners always acted opportunistically, as was evidenced by Jacob Zuma at the Polokwane ANC conference.

For long they were allies of former President Thabo Mbeki, until they realised that he was losing grip of power in the run-up to the conference and changed sides.

“Even now, they will not complain about Ramaphosa’s blunders, but will emerge when his rule is at the brink of collapse and then push him. At the moment they are the armour surrounding Cyril,” Dube said.

“Anyone who still hopes that Cosatu and SACP are the vanguard of the working class and the poor, are in a delusion. These guys are highly opportunistic,” Dube said.

The analyst lashed out at the organisations’ silence on the Covid-19 PPE scandal.

“Those walking under the dark cloud will never expose others walking under the same dark cloud, instead they form an alliance. The ANC would only be removed through an Alliance between the ruling elite and the poor.

“The ANC is the native administrator on behalf of the ruling elite. Once they had enough of the ANC, the ruling elite will search for another native administrator and replace it,” he said.

Dube described the ruling elite as the white business comprising mainly members of what he termed “Minerals-Energy Complex” who controlled the country’s economy, and decide who must run the country on their behalf.

“Once they had used Ramaphosa, they would ditch him and find another leader within the ANC.”

“When they supported Cyril, the elite thought he would have traction, but his influence was being strangled by Luthuli House. Cyril is losing power everyday and those at Luthuli House make sure he can’t breathe,” he said.

According to Dube, the governing ANC lost much of its power during the local government election in 2016, when it lost the three important metros of Tshwane, Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay, and were unable to take back the Western Cape from the Democratic Alliance.

“The ANC to a large extent has lost power , power is not under one entity but fragmented in different pockets It’s for the poor to have their own dialogue without the ANC. The only problem is the poor are not well organised and if there could be anyone able to organise them, then the ANC will be out,” Dube said.

Dube said Ramaphosa had no power anymore and had no moral authority as a leader as he failed to act on corruption.

“Ramaphosa he has been overthrown by corruption. The corruption of the ANC is uncontrollable,” he said.

Similarly the ANC Integrity Commission (IC) enjoyed no respect among ANC leaders, and its actions were so inconsistent that it could not be trusted to wield the stick in the current PPE scandals besetting the party.

Political analyst, Dr Ralph Mathekga, said Cosatu and the SACP were too deep in the ANC’s problems to be able to help the governing party get out of them.

“They are part of the problem. If you look closely you will realise that the Alliance partners often get drawn into the ANC factional battles, they are not capable of being mediators,” Mathekga said.

While those involved in the PPE contract saga in Gauteng were referred to the provincial integrity commission, there was no guarantee that the culprits would be nailed or expelled from the party. No action was taken against former Gauteng ANC chief whip Brian Hlongwa over allegations of corruption surrounding his house in Bryanston, and former health MEC, Qedani Mahlangu, for the Life Esidimeni saga.

No action was taken again former President Jacob Zuma over his illegal Nkandla homestead improvements, while those implicated in the Bosasa bribery were yet to be disciplined.

The commission’s toothlessness was demonstrated when Deputy President David Mabuza and party chair, Gwede Mantashe, were exonerated from any wrongdoing after they challenged the commission’s decisions.

“The integrity commission has not been consistent in the past. So it is just very difficult for people to believe that it is suddenly working properly and is doing its job fairly. It’s going to be difficult even for some within the ANC to begin to believe it.

“The scandal of the PPE was about government that seemed to be not in charge of the system. I don’t think it will be dealt with by the integrity commission of the ANC,” he said.

There are increased calls within the ANC to change the party constitution to make the commission independent of the ANC national executive committee, but to report directly to party conference. Both analysts expressed doubt that this would ever be achieved, because none of the ANC leaders were interested in its work.

“The usefulness of the ANC has reached its sell-by date, the ANC is no longer relevant,” Dube said.

ericn@citizen.co.za

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