Cyril, Ace ‘must take blame for chaos in ANC’
The renewed infighting at all levels of the ANC should be blamed on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s regular absence from the party and its secretary-general Ace Magashule as the centre that fails to hold, an expert said.
Professor Barry Hanyane, from the North-West University, Potchefstroom campus, said the fact that Ramaphosa was frequently absent on state and African engagements, as well as Magashule’s questionable integrity, were costing the governing party. These have contributed to the lack of discipline, political direction and guidance which bred factionalism in the party.
“The ANC has scored its own goal, to use a soccer analogy. The current ongoing factionalism is due to its own making – the centre is not holding,” Hanyane said.
This as two separate high level public spats occurred within one week in the governing party.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula took on Magashule. The battle of the two titans is an ongoing and historic feud of Free State home boys – Mbalula grew up in Botshabelo in Bloemfontein and Magashule is from Parys, northeast of the province.
Mbalula later threw a broadside at former president Jacob Zuma for his defying the Zondo commission. Without naming him, he criticised those he claimed “used the Zondo commission as a place to urinate”.
This top brass enmity was preceded by a fierce war of words between the Ramaphosa and Zuma factions in the North West.
Luthuli House imposed an interim provincial committee and suspended the memberships of premier Job Mokgoro and five others for allegedly voting against an ANC position in the legislature.
The Eastern Cape ANC, on the other hand, lashed out at Zuma, asking the party national executive committee to discipline him for refusing to appear at the Zondo commission.
According to Hanyane, the deepening ANC factionalism straddled both macro and micro levels and also had external factors that fuelled the current factionalism fires.
He said Ramaphosa’s power was at the centre of it all as he grappled with fighting the spread of Covid-19 in the country, resuscitating the ailing economy and dealing with internal governance and African Union issues.
“For Cyril Ramaphosa to be seen as central figure, as that image that represents the centre, seems to have taken a back seat, seems to have been under attack because of all other responsibilities elsewhere,” Hanyane said.
He alluded that Magashule’s office wasn’t functioning as expected. Besides the positives like increased recorded party membership under him, his own character faced serious allegations of corruption.
“This whole thing puts serious questions around his integrity to lead the party given the amount and nature of the allegations he now faces before a court of law,” Hanyane said.
He doubted if ANC ordinary members knew about what the party stood for today and what were its real policies on land redistributions, economy and other critical policies.
Highlighting the North West problems, political analyst Andre Duvenhage said the two sides were fighting for political dominance. He claimed former North West premier Supra Mahumapelo was behind the power struggle and he micromanaged the province from Cape Town where he is a member of parliament.