The ANC not known for consistency
Those in the governing ANC who have argued that no selfrespecting party can tolerate open defiance of its orders from among its members and hope to survive, do have a valid argument, to a point.
They have used this argument to justify the sacking of rebel MP, Dr Makhosi Khoza from the chairmanship of a parliamentary committee.
They are using the self-same argument to push for the removal of MP, Derek Hanekom, from the chairmanship of the ANC’s national disciplinary committee.
The pair have been vocal in their support for the removal of Jacob Zuma as president of the party and country.
They openly declared their support for the motion of no confidence against the president ahead of the vote in parliament on August 8, utterances that were at odds with the orders of the party.
It could be argued, as some in the party have, that the two MPs deserve to get the chop for defying the party.
The problem with this line of argument though, is that those calling for the pair’s punishment have not been consistent and in the main belong to the faction that supports the Zuma presidency and his tacitly nominated successor, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
If the two MPs have breached party rules, could the same not be said of the behaviour and public statements of ministers such as Bathabile Dlamini and Faith Muthambi, to name just two prominent staunch Zuma supporters, for example?
Their performance as ministers, or to be precise, lack thereof, should long have disqualified them from holding government positions and yet they have survived while competent ministers have been sacked.
It could also be argued that they are serial offenders, so why is their conduct not being investigated by the party?
The answer, of course, is that they belong to the Zuma faction of the ANC and are therefore royal game.
One can only wonder how a political party that is not consistent in how it treats its own and turns a blind eye to rampant corruption and gross misconduct in its top leadership can hope to retain the confidence of the people.
It’s the actions and behaviour of a party with a death wish.