Internal strife wracks ANC

Political stability is a critical pre-requisite to investment in all spheres of society. It may also contribute to the country’s prosperity. Political instability is antithesis to political stability and peaceful environment. The ANC as a leading and governing party at the moment should rid itself of factionalists hell bent on thriving on chaos. It should also ensure that its platforms are not utilised by unelected rogue elements to advance their interests at the expense of national interests. This articulation is supported by tested and tried written evidence. I wish to bring it to the attention of the public: my columns are informed by verified and authenticated information. They can withstand any test of time.

These groupings are competing fiercely among themselves for resources and are keen to use all means at their disposal to get what they want and need. They’ve got nothing to lose; they’re only interested in plundering resources to achieve their own ends. They achieve their mission through established collaborative relationships with proxies deployed in strategic centres of power at local, provincial and national levels. Deployment into public representatives' space and public administration is largely informed by pecuniary interests. This takes precedence over skills, knowledge, and expertise require- ments. The need to meet the inherent requirements is down played.

The pace at which this trend is growing is very fast. Failing to arrest this pandemic may eventually lead to kleptocracy of its own kind located within constitutional confines. Those who are opposed to nefarious practices are swiftly ostracised. Their safety and security are compromised in order to succumb and clear the way for lieutenants. Resistance to these attempts may lead to the signing of a death penalty.

This deeply entrenched scourge should be dealt with decisively before it’s too late. The tricky question – who is going to bell the cat? Recent developments have shown us that substantive issues can be sacrificed in defence of the untenable. Matters of principle have been subordinated to personality cult syndrome. Time will tell whether this new trend is sustainable or unsustainable. For sure, invincibility is not a permanent feature of our society.

Quite intriguingly, in the former Border area a slogan was coined and it says “we do not eat principle; the principle will starve you to death”. This means in order to have the opportunity for upward mobility in society; you must pay allegiance to a faction on the pound seat.

That’s why contestations for political dominance are so brutal. This brutality paves way to the application of sinister agenda in order to get access into political circles in control of levers of power. Information peddling supported by conspiratorial activities is also used as means to dislodge the perceived political foes. This obnoxious trend has elevated certain individuals to higher offices at the expense of deserving individuals. This has weakened and depleted the already overstretched state capacity on key fronts. This has also exposed state weaknesses to both domestic and international actors. South Africa is no longer commanding respect on the African continent and we are no longer taken seriously in the international arena. It’s where (internationally) we are hardest hit by our astute strategic international counterparts. At this level counter balance mechanisms, at least to balance the scale are far from matching international cognitive demands and standards.

Domestically, we are vulnerable to tendencies pushing their own line of march. What has compounded the situation are uncontrollable intra-party hostilities that may have contributed to the resurgence of violent political revolts in certain areas of the country. Intra-party political schisms are a microcosm of a macro political problem.

These dynamics play themselves out in communities, and cause divisions and mayhem. The manner in which political violence unfolds gives an impression that it’s an outcome of a pre-meditated move.

For instance, the Vuwani and Tshwane spates of violence raise more questions than answers. The Demarcation Board and the ANC political decisions on mayoral candidates have caused tensions.

In Tshwane the decision unleashed a violent reaction; indeed the latter cannot be condoned. It was painful to watch such a reaction meted against the candidacy of one of the most competent figures, Ms Thoko Didiza. She is intelligent, robust, energetic, learned, innovative, dynamic and a committed person to the cause of the people. She’s a true and true product of a real youth movement, a person who never turned her back on her people under trying circumstances. Unfortunately, maybe the timing of her deployment was not right. Above all, she’s not divisive and factionalist. Maybe these decisions ignited tensions which have been brewing beneath the soil for some time. Sometimes the bursting of contradictions coincides with events located within a specific context underpinned by hostile competing internal and external interests.

Failing to nip this problem in the bud may lead to full scale hit and run tug-of-war game. This may also lead to vengeance and revenge activities carried out on a perennial basis. The escalation of this problem may overstretch the already depleted capacity of law enforcement agencies. In the build up to freedom under trying circumstances South Africans across the political spectrum tamed in particular the state sponsored violence. The post 1994 era has been relatively peaceful in as far as political skirmishes are concerned. The proliferation of violent protests and political assassinations are quite shocking in this day and age. Let’s hope that history is not repeating itself in a different form under different circumstances.

The continuation of these upheavals may have detrimental effects on the following crit- ical success factors: economy, education, provision of social services, brand of the country etc. These things may also derail some of the noble gains made.

The youth of today across the political spectrum should read the literature on the role of liberation movements in the post colonial era. It’s also vital to read the literature on the role of liberation movements during the liberation struggle. Read this literature with an open and critical mind because some authors may have distorted, exaggerated or romanticised the role of liberation movements during the colonial era. Some may have tried their level best to come up with a balanced outcome (literature).

Information and knowledge space is a contested platform. This may enable one to contrast the two different scenarios and arrive at an informed conclusion. Pointers suggest that liberation movements behave strangely in the post colonial era.

• Christian Mxoliswa Mbekela is a strategic work consultant specializing in HR, EE and risk management. Former SAYCO NEC member and he was part of the team that re-established the ANC Youth League. He is currently doing a PhD in the Sociology Department at Rhodes University. www.cmmmindpower.co.za