Ramaphosa- Zuma fight threatens regional security
It was chaos; high- octane chaos. Adrenaline; insanely- high adrenaline! Razor- sharp machetes! Dogs; vicious dogs! Stones; hail of stones! Blood; sea of blood! Burning tyres and nasty smell of burning human flesh! Thugs; cold- blooded thugs! The scenes were heavily pregnant with rage, exhilaration, confusion, numbness, dumbness and indifference. And the police, looked helpless, hopeless and hapless as satanic forces ‘ seized the moment’ to unleash a mountain of diabolical horror on foreigners. With nyaope- induced rage, the thugs stoned people to death and burned others alive. Insanity became the sanity of the day. The whole world stood shocked, as thugs looted and destroyed foreign- owned businesses in different parts of South Africa. The thugs threatened, “there will be fire and blood” if foreigners did not leave. This is the savagery South Africa can instantly translate into. And be warned, be very warned, the unravelling political environment in the ruling African National Congress ( ANC) is a very potential precipitant for violence. And it carries serious security implications for the entire region.
As we stand, former South African President, Jacob Zuma has been found guilty of contempt of court, and stands to spend 15 months in jail.
Reading out her judgement, Justice Sisi Khampepe said: “The only appropriate sanction is a direct, unsuspended order of imprisonment. The alternative is to effectively sentence the legitimacy of the judiciary to inevitable decay”. The ruling has been hailed in some quarters, especially the media, as “victory for the rule of law.” But in a country where anarchy is the order of the day, the “rule of law” narrative is nothing more than just political rhetoric for a seemingly ‘ victorious’ Cyril Ramaphosa faction. In the meantime, the ANC has released a statement acknowledging, “a difficult period in the movement” and urging its members to remain “calm.” The ongoing propagation by the media is nothing but a disposition of ‘ see- no- evil, hear- no- evil’ posture adopted towards Ramaphosa. And this ‘ anointing’ by the media has increasingly become part of the political disease. Cheap media narratives where Zuma is portrayed as ‘ constitutional delinquent’ and suspended ANC Secretary General, Ace Magashule is displayed as the epitome of corruption, is a desperate attempt to obfuscate issues. Whichever side of the fence one is seated, the truth is, the Ramaphosa- Zuma fight is a continuation of the 2017 Conference battle between the two factions. Nasrec Conference, was a ‘ battle lost and won’ for the two factions. While the Ramaphosa faction won the presidency, it lost Luthuli House. While one faction controlled government, the other controlled the party that controlled the government. In that peculiar state of affairs, Ramaphosa knew that the possibility of ‘ recall’ by Luthuli House, as it happened with his two predecessors, Thabo Mbeki and Zuma, was more real than imagined.
Worse off, besides rent- a- supporter, Ramaphosa did not even have political base in the ANC. He was therefore, more than anybody, vulnerable. The only weapons he had were state institutions.
And he unleashed them on his political adversaries. As things stand, not only is South Africa on the brink, the entire region is watching developments with a keen eye. The indisputable truth is, South Africa is an inherently violent society, therefore, any available avenue, ought to be taken to avert bloodshed. Get me right, I am not saying Zuma is right by defying the Constitutional Court orders to appear before the State Capture inquiry, I am just saying, it is not the heart of the matter. Half the story remains untold. But unlike a cat, “umsholozi ka Zuma, ka Dingane, ka Shaka, ka Senzangakhona” as he praises himself, has proven to have more than nine lives. As to how he has survived all political potholes this far, remains a strange and bewildering tale. Now, the stage is set, the air is moist with political apprehension and the audience is waiting with anticipation. Zuma is readying himself for a battle much bigger than that was fought by his ancestors; the Battle of Isandlwana. He is fully aware that his recent actions can come to immortalise life and untimely death of the once- mighty ANC and the so- called, ‘ rainbow’ nation. In the meantime, armed members of the Umkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans Association ( MKMVA) are on high alert in Nkandla, any stupid decision can end in bloodbath.