PAC prepares for ‘most contested’ congress as deputy who led #FeesMustFall takes on leader

The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania is preparing for what its senior members are calling its “most contested” elective national congress.

The congress will see party president Mzwanele Nyhontso challenged by his party deputy, Lunga Mantashe. The race between Nyhontso and Mantashe has been billed as an “ideological battle” between two camps within the party.

The “Stability camp”, led by Nyhontso, wants to see continuity and growth, which speaks to changing the organisation into a modern post-democracy political party.

The “Legacy camp”, led by Mantashe, is “seeking to retain the soul of the PAC” by realigning it to its original Pan-Africanist principles, as espoused by its founder Robert Sobukwe.

An insider confirmed to The Citizen the congress wasn’t only about a contestation for positions, but there were deep ideological issues at stake. The member said the Mantashe campaign believed that any attempt to assimilate the PAC into current popular politics would derail it from its calling.

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“It’s a battle of two ideas – we need to ask what is it we should represent as the PAC? “Are we going to assimilate this organisation [allow assimilation] and let it lose its character, or restore it to its original values of Pan-Africanism as envisaged by its founding fathers?” the member said.

The coming congress is anticipated to be a defining moment for the PAC, which has performed poorly at every election. Its parliamentary representation dropped from five MPs in 1994 to only one today.

It was once the sixth-biggest party in parliament and its MPs included stalwarts such as then PAC president Clarence Makwetu, party chief whip Patricia de Lille, Ahmed Gora Ibrahim, Khaliphile Sizani and Malcom Dyani.

At provincial level, its MPLs were Joe Mkhwanazi for KwaZulu-Natal, Benny Alexander (aka Khoisan X) for Gauteng and Zingisa Mkabile for Eastern Cape.

Nyhontso is seeking a second term as PAC president but the youthful Mantashe is determined to drive him off course at the party’s national congress, which will be held at Ngoako Ramatlhodi Hall at Seshego in Limpopo from 26 to 28 August.

However, despite the much-anticipated contestations for the presidency and all the top seven positions, the congress is expected to proceed without ructions. Its former president, Narius Moloto, appears to be too exhausted to put up another fight against Nyhontso.

Moloto lost in court when he tried to challenge the validity of Nyhontso’s election at the last PAC congress. Besides, Moloto does not qualify to enter the race because he allegedly failed to renew his membership or pay subscription fees.

Nyhontso, who is the PAC’s sole MP, is a party stalwart with many years in the party. One of his supporters, who spoke anonymously, said the odds favoured Nyhontso.

But Mantashe is also not taking this one lying down, as he is backed by strong support from the student movement. He was previously the president of the Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania (Pasma) prior to being elected PAC deputy president.

He is also a #FeesMustFall activist with growing support in the labour movement and working classes. A source described Mantashe as brilliant. “If Lunga Mantashe is elected, I will be back,” he said.

– ericn@citizen.co.za