Gumede’s election will haunt party, warns analyst

A political expert believes former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede’s election as ANC regional chair, despite graft charges she faces, has set a dangerous precedent that will haunt the party.

University of Johannesburg’s Prof Mcebisi Ndletyana said the ANC’s double standards in dealing with ill-discipline would haunt it. He said after Gumede’s election there was nothing to stop suspended ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule from standing in the ANC and even challenging party president Cyril Ramaphosa in December.

Gumede’s actions would increase factional tensions and party anarchists would feel vindicated on their claim that charges against Gumede and others were politically motivated.

Gumede, a Jacob Zuma supporter now associated with former minister Zweli Mkhize’s presidential ambition, faces fraud and corruption charges over alleged solid waste graft at eThekwini metro. She defeated the eThekwini speaker Thabani Nyawose, a Cyril Ramaphosa backer, by 210 votes to 181 at the elective eThekwini ANC regional conference on Sunday.

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Another analyst, Levy Ndou, said there were members of the ANC like Gumede who did not care about the fact that their actions tarnished the party’s image. Ndou said members like Gumede had identified a loophole in the ANC step-aside policy and were exploiting it for their benefit.

“However, the election of Gumede should be looked at in its proper context – not just based on the step-aside issue – but on the fact that there are ANC members who love tainted leaders,” said Ndou.

“If they can elect someone in Mpumalanga who is facing murder charges, they see nothing wrong to elect someone who is facing fraud and corruption charges, like Gumede.”

Ndletyana said unless Luthuli House was courageous enough to stop its members who faced charges from standing for positions, it would regret this. He said the precedent meant that all those on step-aside or facing charges can avail themselves for elections in the party structures. This made a mockery of the step-aside rule.

“The ANC leadership has failed to do what is obvious, to tell their suspended members that they can’t take part in ANC election because that’s part of the party activities.”

The ANC top brass and the provincial leaderships lacked the courage to enforce its rules because they wanted to get support from these members towards the December national conference.

“They let them do as they like because they don’t want to alienate these members. This double standard will haunt the ANC,” Ndletyana said.

He said Gumede’s election was counterproductive for the ANC as it lost support in eThekwini under her leadership due to poor service delivery.