Party unity before election might sway voters’ minds

ANC party bosses will hope the recently concluded conferences of two of its leagues will unify the party and bring good tidings before next year’s crucial general elections.

On Sunday, Sisisi Tolashe was elected as the ANC Women’s League president, trouncing the controversial former league president and former social development minister, Bathabile Dlamini.

Those with an eye on the factional nature of ANC politics might look at the margin of Tolashe’s victory over the runner-up, Thembeka Mchunu (718 votes), and read too much into it.

While ANCWL elective conferences aren’t known for high levels of drama and last-minute skulduggery, this past weekend’s conference set the tone of what is likely to come for the ANC.

We already saw glimpses of that at the recent ANC Youth League conference, where Collen Malatji was elected unopposed.

Despite some drama before the meeting, the first ANCYL conference in eight years barely moved the needle on the Richter scale.

In the past, elective conferences of the ANC and its leagues would be known for their high levels of drama and serve as a weather vane, of sorts, to indicate which faction was in an ascendant position.

Opportunists would then exchange their support for advancement up the gravy train.

While the culture of contestation has barely died within the ANC, party unity, particularly before a crucial election, might sway voters’ minds.

The ANC might take a leaf from disparate political cultures, such as that of the Chinese Communist Party where succession is carefully choreographed, or the Democratic Party in the US where, despite being the eldest president to seek re-election, no serious Democrat dares to challenge President Joe Biden.

Cyril Ramaphosa is ostensibly serving his final term as ANC president; the party delegates, who will elect new leaders in December 2027, might be facing a different political reality.

For the ANC, party unity is crucial, despite its numerous failings in governing.

That party unity could convince some voters and be the difference between an ANC with a majority mandate or one having to govern in coalition with a junior partner.