Let me begin by narrating a story that was never before reported in the mainstream media.
At the high-stakes national general council (NGC) of the ANC in 2005, something relatively unprecedented happened.
Immediately after the presentation of the political report by the then ANC President Thabo Mbeki, a young delegate from Gauteng raised his hand with the intention to speak. The chairperson of the session recognised and allowed that young comrade to express his viewpoints. In full view of the ANC national leadership and all delegates, the young comrade charged: “Firstly, Comrade Mbeki must remember that he was made President by ANC members. Secondly, Comrade Mbeki should not dictate to us as to who must succeed him in 2007. Thirdly, we will never allow President Mbeki to anoint his own preferred successor. Lastly, in the ANC, the Deputy President is always poised to succeed the President”. That unflinching statement inspired delegates to openly rebel against Mbeki’s political agenda. The pro-Zuma delegates heaped praise on that young comrade for his principled militancy.
There is a philosophic saying: “Those who fail to learn from history are prone to repeat its errors and excesses”. Since last year, Zuma has been gravitating towards a perilous point of precipice.
The once principled and politically-astute Zuma has suddenly morphed into an unprincipled personality. Zuma’s elevation into the party presidency in 2007 was largely motivated by his approachable political character. He was popularly admired and embraced as a down-to-earth man of the people.
Two months before the ANC’s 2007 Polokwane conference, Zuma delivered a rousing speech to hundreds of youths in the Eastern Cape. Part of Zuma’s speech was as follows: “Our revolutionary culture has enabled us (ANC) to survive and rise above many difficulties and challenges. It is the revolutionary culture of the ANC for the President to be succeeded by the Deputy President.” These remarks by Zuma were greeted with loud cheers and praise from the audience.
Consequently, Zuma was hailed as the true guardian of the revolutionary culture of the ANC. That explains his massive and monumental victory over Mbeki at the Polokwane conference. ANC members ousted Mbeki because he was trying to dilute and compromise the culture and traditions of the party.
ANC members are naturally hostile towards a president who seeks to undermine the party’s revolutionary culture. At the 1930 National conference of the ANC, party delegates swiftly dethroned the then president Josias Gumede. Gumede’s ousting was precipitated by his suggested plan to change the pan-Africanist ideology of the ANC.
Another fatal blunder committed by Gumede was his proposal to turn the ANC into a communist organisation.
It is now an open secret that Zuma does not want Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to succeed him in 2017.
A new demagogic faction known as the Premier League is used by some ANC bigwigs to obstruct Ramaphosa from assuming the reigns. The ANC Youth League, ANC Women’s League and the so-called Premier League have forged a factional solidarity against Ramaphosa. By implication, these structures are colluding against the sanctity and reverence of the ANC’s revolutionary culture.
Will members of the ANC allow President Zuma to choose and anoint his preferred successor?
Elvis Masoga, political analyst
