ANC has to cleanse what Zuma soiled

Jacob Zuma finally succumbed to growing pressure from the ANC and resigned as president on Wednesday. Once a hero of the resistance to apartheid, Zuma became increasingly embroiled in sordid corruption scandals, prompting the ANC to elect another leader and effectively force Zuma out of office.

That done, the question now is whether the ANC can cleanse and revive itself under Cyril Ramaphosa, its new leader. Ramaphosa, a one-time labour leader and protégé of Nelson Mandela who made a fortune in business and leads the party’s reformist wing, was elected president of the ANC in a hotly contested election in December.

There is nothing to regret in Zuma’s fall. Though he spent time in prison with Mandela and in exile, on coming to power he succumbed to the sordid lure of power’s perks. He also came to be identified with a nation economically adrift and unable to achieve the economic equality promised at the end of white rule. But the ANC continued to prop up Zuma, at least until the party itself began losing its once unassailable popularity and Zuma became a liability ahead of national elections in 2019.

On winning the leadership of the ANC in December, Ramaphosa vowed to “act fearlessly against alleged corruption and abuse of office within our ranks”. Yet his victory over Zuma’s ally (and former wife) in the ANC race was slim, and many Zuma loyalists retain senior posts.

That leaves an uphill battle as Ramaphosa takes on a deeply divided party in which too many years of unchallenged power have nurtured lethargy and a culture of corruption. He will need to act quickly and decisively to convince dubious voters that the ANC can clean its soiled house. New York, February 14