Now is the time for ANC to act

IF EVER the ANC needed cool heads and clear minds, coupled with a sense of urgency, to guide it from a path of disaster, it is now. This is why it is so exasperatingly difficult to understand why a cabinet minister such as Lindiwe Zulu and a deputy minister such as Kebby Maphatsoe should be accusing colleagues of “selling out” and calling for strong action to be taken against them for voting in favour of a motion of no confidence to remove President Jacob Zuma.

And it’s plain stupid for others, such as ANC Youth League members, to throw around words like “treason” when describing the actions of their colleagues who broke ranks on Tuesday.

We would have expected senior ANC members like Zulu and Maphatsoe to provide genuine leadership and set an example to other, less experienced members within their ranks. Instead, they have chosen to act like hotheads.

After the vote on the DA’s motion of no confidence in Zuma, it is obvious that the divisions in the movement of Tambo, Mandela and Kathrada run deep. The ANC has been torn apart by factionalism. It’s an organisation facing disaster.

The ANC’s wounds are self-inflicted. It put the noose around its own neck. It did nothing when it should have been decisive. It did nothing when cries of corruption swept through its ranks. It did nothing when allegations of state capture grew from whispers, to shouts, to roars. And when you do nothing, it’s certain you will pay a heavy price.

Its members are forced to choose between narrow, even selfish, party interests and the interests of the people. When this happens, members will vote with their consciences.

We hope the cool heads will not only steer the ANC clear of a witch-hunt – but also admonish those who call for it.

The ANC leadership know what ails the party. They know how it came to be where it is today. They know what must be done to set it on a new path. Now is the time for them to act.