Tripartite alliance is dead, says Motlanthe
Warns of ANC poll losses next year Cites divisive tendencies
THE TRIPARTITE alliance is dead and whoever believes otherwise is delusional, former president Kgalema Motlanthe said this weekend.
In an exclusive interview, Mr Motlanthe told Business Day that the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the South African Communist Party (SACP), formerly independent ideological partners of the African National Congress (ANC) had lost their way and the alliance existed in name only.
Mr Motlanthe lashed out at the governing party, saying it was currently made up mostly of members and leaders devoid of the kind of political ability and consciousness required to maintain a united and nonracial society — a key ideal articulated during the liberation struggle.
He said internal democracy in the ANC was impaired.
“The point I am making is that the policies are in place, the constitution is in place, but if those in power can pick and choose when to adhere, when not to adhere, then we have a very difficult situation.”
His comments come at a time when former leaders of the ANC are increasingly speaking out.
Mr Motlanthe, a former Robben Island prisoner, has served in many positions in the alliance and rose to the level of ANC deputy president.
He was the country’s president for a short period after the ANC booted Thabo Mbeki out of office in 2008.
He was scathing in his criticism of Cosatu, which expelled its general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi and its biggest affiliate, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), this year.
“You have a situation when the office bearers actively go and divide the unions. I can’t think of anyone who claims to be a trade unionist who can, with a clear conscience expel 350,000 workers. It is unheard of,” he said.
He warned that the decision to expel Numsa could cost the ANC in next year’s local government elections.
“My reading is that there is no alliance, there is one organisation existing inside the integuments of erstwhile independent organisations, but today to talk about Cosatu as an independent organisation from the ANC or the SACP I think is a delusion.”
He explained why he stood against President Jacob Zuma at the party’s elections in Mangaung in 2012, knowing full-well he would lose. At that conference, Mr Motlanthe turned down nomination to stand for deputy president under Mr Zuma — a role he held at the time.
He also declined another chance to sit on the ANC national executive committee. “Well, you know, I was clear that if I continued serving in that leadership, it would be a constant battle just to get them to operate on the basis of the constitution.”
Mr Motlanthe reiterated his sentiment about the expulsion in 2012 of youth leader Julius Malema from the ANC, which he said was part of a rise of unethical, factional decision making.
He said young people were being pushed away from the ANC and its youth league.
Due to the dearth of internal democracy, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) looked more appealing to young activists.
“What the EFF is saying resonates with their own feelings.”
Mr Motlanthe also warned that bullying tactics adopted by the ANC in the National Assembly alienated people from minority race groups. The Afrikaners for example, were “drawing back into their laager”.
Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini said Mr Motlanthe was no longer in touch with developments at the federation, while ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said: “I don’t want to argue with my predecessor.”
SACP deputy general secretary Solly Mapaila said in his response, Mr Motlanthe was going off on a “tangent”.
KGALEMA Motlanthe is one of the leaders who believe in the adage “a crisis must never be wasted” as he prepares to again get involved in the scuffle that is public life. The former president is about to launch a foundation that will aim to improve dialogue between key sectors of society.
The rising gross national debt, which is fast approaching 50% of gross national product at a time when government has no new revenue streams, is one of the red flags in a country beset with many political and economic problems, Motlanthe says.
“We have a crisis and people who understand that are the people in Treasury because every week they have to go and borrow money in order to manage the current account.”
Among the realities for officials in the Treasury is raising money in markets where political sentiment counts for naught.
“And so they (Treasury officials) know and they deal with 23year-old and 24-year-old asset managers who have no regard for sentiment; there’s no room for sentiment there. They just crunch figures and that’s it.”
But this is a reality the majority in politics and government do not understand, Mr Motlanthe says.
“And so the people in Treasury understand the gravity of the challenges we are faced with, but the rest of the other people don’t understand that and that’s why decisions can be taken about major, megaprojects with huge financial implications but because it sounds right, decisions are taken,” he says.
Plans over the controversial nuclear build are an example of a government that has no regard for public debt, he says.
“Nuclear, for instance, it’s going to cost trillions and if you have no regard for public debt…. Many people think the government is in trouble here, but it’s public debt. It’s not the government, it’s us who are in debt and it would affect us, each individual South African will be affected by that debt, not government. But many people don’t understand the concept of public debt.”
By establishing his own foundation, Mr Motlanthe joins other former presidents — Thabo Mbeki and FW de Klerk — who, with the support they get from government and private fund-raising, have established bodies that deal with key issues in public life.
Mr Motlanthe says he has seen a gap arising from the poor nature of public discourse.
His foundation will bring bodies under one roof to have conversations “as equals”, he says.
The current setup has key industries meeting government leaders regularly, he says, but these “feel-good” meetings achieve little.
“So it’s almost like lip service to these noble ideals that the actions and the pronouncement point in different directions. I’m saying there’s a gap there where we could meaningfully facilitate dialogue and conversation on these kind of issues and questions.”
Mr Motlanthe says his experience in government also taught him lessons, especially about the “photo opportunity” nature of what should be missions to build trade relations with overseas nations for the benefit of the local business sector.
Entourages of business and government leaders on overseas economic-opportunity seeking missions are often underprepared and unable to exploit opportunities, he says.
“The problem is where, if you take trade and industry, you need in trade and industry people who are on the other side of the fence and try and experience the bottlenecks … who’ll be able to know that, on such an occasion, this is what we need to do.”
But what’s different now that he is no longer in government?
The time for talking is over, he says, and the Motlanthe Foundation will be his way of contributing. “I have access to most of the ministers and so on … and so if you take the development of small business where there’s a ministry now under Minister Lindiwe Zulu. My sense is she is swimming in those murky waters without knowing exactly where to start.”
Mr Motlanthe says he could then facilitate meetings between Ms Zulu and business leaders.
“If I were to assist her, I would go and talk to big shots like Johann Rupert and say you know, in all these outfits that you have, how can you help the creation and growth of small business people. What are the areas in which you can have some of those things produced by small business people and so on?”