Daily Dispatch

Our very own Nero fiddles on

THE line has been drawn in the sand, but the question is, who within the ruling party will be on the right side of it?

The ANC’s chief whip in parliament, Jackson Mthembu, could find himself banished to a political wasteland if the ANC Youth League has its way, for his remarks that the Jacob Zuma-led ANC national executive ought to step down.

The chief whip has spoken openly about his concern over the charge against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Mthembu, who has over the years been a tenacious defender of the party, told the City Press the current leadership “reduced the governing party to something that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth”.

The charge against Gordhan, which relates to a payout made by SARS to former deputy commissioner Ivan Pillay when he took early retirement, has already sown seeds of discontent within the party.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and a few of the cabinet ministers have come out in support of the finance minister.

But Zuma’s allies are not standing on the sidelines without putting up a fight.

Mthembu, who said he was neither targeting the president nor interested in a position when he made his comments, already has a target pinned to his back.

In a heated meeting last week ANCYL president and firm Zuma backer Collen Maine took aim at the ANC chief whip and called for him to be disciplined for causing damage to the ANC.

However, Mthembu appears undeterred by Maine’s threats and was quoted in yesterday’s Sunday Times saying: “The ANC should wake up and smell the coffee; we can’t continue to be led by uncouth young people.

“Come 2019, we will be out of power if this is what we continue to do. We will not regain the confidence of our people.”

While politics are unpredictable and the fate of a party cannot be foreseen with a crystal ball, the current state of affairs should be cause for concern for the ANC.

A special report in the Sunday Times yesterday revealed further details of how a Gupta-linked company knew about Nhlanhla Nene’s axing as finance minister two months before it happened.

The newspaper also published claims that Ajay Gupta had offered Deputy Finance Minister Mcebisi Jonas R600 000 to take up the job and millions if he agreed to work with them. These details were contained in affidavits submitted to former public protector Thuli Madonsela.

Unfortunately the governing party – which barely survived the onslaught of the opposition during the August municipal elections – cannot divorce itself from the turmoil involving the finance minister, the scandalous claims of state capture or even the #FeesMustFall protests.

And while the chaos in the country persists, the president takes time out of his “busy schedule”, as reported by the SABC at the weekend, to co-host a traditional music show on Ukhozi FM.

Zuma is fiddling while the country burns.