WITH less than eight weeks before the local government elections, President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for unity within the ANC, which has been plagued by factional battles and political infighting in recent months.
The arrest of former president Jacob Zuma and the suspension of ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule have deepened the divisions within the ruling ANC, with some calling for an early conference to oust Ramaphosa as president.
Apparently the motivation for the removal of Ramaphosa will be that he has failed to implement the party’s 2017 national conference resolutions.
Several ANC members are already demanding that the top leadership account for the financial crisis after the party’s failure to submit some of its candidate lists for the local government elections.
On Sunday, ANC national chair Gwede Mantashe’s calls for unity received a hostile reception from members of the disbanded Umkhonto weSizwe Military Veterans’ Association (MKMVA) after they disrupted his eulogy at the funeral of the association’s president, Kebby Maphatsoe.
Mantashe was among top ANC leaders that Maphatsoe, who died of a heart attack last week, had lined up as personally preferred speakers at his funeral.
While announcing the outcomes of the ANC NEC lekgotla on Monday, Ramaphosa appealed to party members to unite.
But he warned that unity cannot mean that corruption, wrongdoing, or ill-discipline will be accommodated.
“A strong and united ANC is critical for the effective functioning of government and crucial for social cohesion. While the movement is facing challenges, this Lekgotla has resolved to intensify our efforts to strengthen unity and renew our organisation,” said Ramaphosa.
“This is not the time to throw up our hands in despair. This is the time to recommit to building our country, and to act with decisiveness. Our challenges are not insurmountable and, if we work together and with determination, we will surely prevail.”
He added: “We undertake these tasks at a difficult time for our movement, as we grapple with the challenge of fundamental renewal and rebuilding.”
Ramaphosa also sought to extend a hand of gratitude to Zuma supporters when he welcomed the decision by Correctional Services Commissioner Arthur Fraser to release the former president on medical parole despite fierce criticism from opposition parties and other pressure groups.
“We have also received and taken note of the decision by correctional services and the national commissioner to release Comrade Jacob Zuma from incarceration on medical parole. We welcome this,” said Ramaphosa.
“We heard that he is not well and we would like to wish him quick recovery as he is restored back to his home to be with his loved ones.”
There are fears within the governing party that the imprisonment of the former president might negatively impact on the support of the ANC in the upcoming local government elections, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal.
Zuma still enjoys massive support among ANC branches in KwaZulu-Natal.
Widespread looting and burning of businesses broke out in early July, a day after Zuma began serving a 15-month jail term for ignoring the summons to appear before Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo’s commission of inquiry into state capture.
More than 300 people died during the violence.
The economic costs of the looting and destruction of property so far already run into billions of rands. But the socioeconomic and political costs from the unrest and Covid-19 now and in the future may be too high to quantify.
Ramaphosa is also under fire from the pro-Zuma supporters for accusing him of using state organs to silence his opponents in the governing party.
But Ramaphosa is not backing down on his anti-corruption crusade.
‘All of us, indeed all of society, agree with the assertion at this lekgotla by the SACP and COSATU that society is tired of crime and corruption and the seeming inability of the state to decisively deal with this scourge,’ he said on Monday.
Ramaphosa also spoke of the anger and frustration at rising crime levels.
The stakes for the current ANC leadership are that high at the moment is to rid itself of its rogue elements.
“Efforts to strengthen the capacity of law-enforcement agencies and security services continue,” said Ramaphosa.
“Citizens need to be confident that both the police service and state intelligence agencies have the necessary capacity and resources to protect the country.”
Addressing the two-day ANC NEC Lekgotla on Saturday, Ramaphosa said they are anticipating that the commission will be scathing of the ANC and its government, especially on its cadre deployment policy which came under the spotlight when he appeared before the commission as both president of the party and that of the republic.
“We need to be ready to address these and develop concise messages before the report comes out. An important issue will be to engage with and prepare ourselves for implementation of the recommendations,” he said.
“Specific allegations have been levelled against leaders and deployees of the movement and there is a concerted drive to tie these allegations to the organisation and portray a picture of a corrupt and incompetent ANC and ANC government.”
The ANC and executive government leadership have to ensure, through all legal and other political means, that the factional battles and their effects do not spill over to the rest of the country.
- Inside Politics
