Bulls fight, grass suffers

I’M WRITING this open letter to our Eastern Cape premier, the leader of the ANC in the province, with regard to delivery of the State of the Province address. My focus centres mainly on developments in Buffalo City Metro and Mnquma local municipalities, which are a taboo and an insult to us.

We as ANC leaders and members need to be open and should not fear helping to save the ANC from its own. What we are observing in Buffalo City and Mnquma Local is a shame. When Bulls fight, it’s the grass that suffers most.

I believe that central to any revolution is the existence of a politically grounded and disciplined cadreship, capable of defending and advancing the revolution. Issues of political discipline within the movement are central to the success of our revolution. We must collectively note the disturbing emergence of alien tendencies that undermine the political cohesion and unity of the ANC.

Many of our gatherings as the ANC have turned into battlegrounds where differences are no longer resolved through political engagements, but through anarchy and complete disregard and disrespect for critical forums of the organisation.

Disruptive tendencies that narrow the political space for discussion and inhibit the organisation from taking proper decisions.

Patronage, factionalism, gatekeeping, crippling ill-discipline and narrow agendas seek to co-opt members into anti-ANC programmes. I therefore appeal to the Eastern Cape ANC provincial chairperson and our premier to reflect on the above and to find solutions that can then be communicated to branches and wards.

Time to roll out the red carpet for the mediocre is gone. Lastly, I’m calling on the ANC, through the premier, to cast a critical eye over provincial officials such as heads of our departments, chief executives of our dysfunctional SOEs, and useless municipal managers who are good only at looting.

Those officials are using our state machinery to advance their selfish interests. Some are used by certain selfish politicians as their puppets and financial machines to fund these alien tendencies we are observing, seeking to undermine our hard-earned democracy.

This province needs to be deeply assessed by this premier, or history will judge him harshly.

These officials are known and soon to be named by me. They are acting as gods and mafia and we know their semi-political bosses, who will soon be exposed in coming conferences.

I’m calling for unity. Corruption and theft have no place in the ANC and in our province. Corruption is an insult to legends such as Oliver Tambo, Nelson Mandela, Alcott Gwentshe, Nomtshaka Mgabela, Hubert Majombozi, Thozamile Gqwetha, Chris Hani, Oscar Mpetha and other fallen heroes and heroines of this province.

Premier, please protect this legacy.