Rebuilding starts with Zuma’s recall

The rebuilding of the ANC is urgent and necessary for the longevity of the organisation.

The leadership of the ANC needs to acknowledge the great evils troubling South Africans: the unemployment rate, extreme inequality of income and the wave of violence and crime.

Restoring the people’s hope in the party will take a long time. The clean-up in the ANC must be from top to bottom, starting with Jacob Zuma. Corruption allegations have tarnished Zuma’s image and eroded his support base and the scandals linked to Zuma have played a major role in sapping support for the ANC.

Zuma is not solely responsible for corruption in the public sector, but he certainly has stymied any progress that could have been made in this regard.

ANC corruption is widespread and common. A culture of impunity has made the South African parliament one of the most scandal-ridden institutions in the world.

Rather than trying to justify the indefensible, the ANC now needs to be at the forefront of holding its leaders accountable for corruption and maladministration.

The governing party, including those presidential candidates who now criticise Zuma, cannot simply wash their hands off him. The message is clear: the ANC voter is no longer willing to be taken for granted by a self-serving leadership that acts with impunity.

Farzeen Osman Morningside, Durban