Sona chaos laid bare the breaking of the ANC machinery
SOMETHING dire happened in the state of the nation address.
Beyond the draining theatrics of “point of order” by the EFF, the unexpected flying labels of “constitutional delinquency”, the childish refusal to have a moment’s silence to remember the 94 Esidimeni mentally ill patients, the militarisation of parliament, the violent eviction of the EFF members of parliament and the vulgar words spewed by ANC MPs, South Africans literally got to see the breaking of the ANC machinery right before their eyes.
The breakage was not in newspapers for the alleged elite and middle class to read.
It was laid bare for all groups of the electorate – rich, poor, white, black, young and old – to see on their television screens.
At first, it was shocking and embarrassingly entertaining when the country heard for the first time “point of order” introduced by the EFF.
Then it built up to jamming signals the next year, which laid the ground for the combative scene we saw two weeks ago, heightened by the deployment of 441 SANDF members to maintain “law and order”.
What transpired was a lawless parade of poisoning Oliver Tambo’s legacy right in front of his children and grandchildren.
What transpired was a fashion parade devoid of any real new content clothed as radical economic transformation.
We could only remember the shame on the face of dignitaries such as former president Thabo Mbeki and Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng as teargas filled the gallery they were sitting in.
What was once a source of pride, dignity and content for the country fell apart in a way we as South Africans never thought possible with the Nelson Mandela and Mbeki presidencies.
We reached new lows, and trust between the ruling party and citizens has now been broken further.
The underlying thought in people’s minds is how can citizens trust a party to rule a country when its deployees cannot handle parliament?
And how can they be trusted when their own machinery is chaotic?
That is where the ANC succession debate emanates from – from a place of things falling apart.
In this state it cannot be business as usual for the ruling party, evidenced by individuals starting to break away from party traditions when it comes to succession debates.
The ANC Women’s League broke away by announcing Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as its candidate. Lindiwe Sisulu’s name, according to the Mail and Guardian, is now being also flouted as an alternative female candidate to Dlamini-Zuma.
ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu has put his weight behind Cyril Ramaphosa.
Clearly, the ruling party is aware that its same old tactics are wearing thin.
In the meanwhile, any reading of Sunday or daily newspapers is a page after page litany of how the ruling party is not managing governance of the country, breaking trust with the electorate even further.
The Department of Water and Sanitation is reportedly bankrupt. A department managing our most prized and life-giving resource is reportedly R4-billion in the red. It’s scary. Rumours are rampant that shamed former Eskom boss Brian Molefe is positioned to replace Pravin Gordan as finance minister.
The North West ANC branch, to which he reportedly belongs, is delegitimising his deployment as an MP and the public is deeply suspicious of Molefe’s appointment.
All these events are simply adding credence to the message that was communicated during the Sona – that the machinery of the ANC cannot be trusted by South Africans and by its very own its members.
ANC member Mathews Phosa described this year’s Sona as his “Damascus moment” in a piece he penned in the Daily Maverick.
But ordinary citizens who might not have the education to put their dismay in such fancy language simply witnessed – clearer than ever before – the breakdown of a machinery of a once glorious movement.
Only 2019 will tell how far the trust has been broken. It is not looking good for the ruling party.