Gauteng ANC may yet pay for not taking bull by the horns

THE ANC in Gauteng is on the horns of a dilemma. Leading a province that is the economic and intellectual heartland of the country, it has to either serve the interests of a highly articulate, critical and sophisticated electorate, or bend to the whims of a scandal-plagued national leader who demands nothing but absolute sycophancy.

Currently it’s doing neither too well. The local government elections, due in August, provide impetus for politicians to want to be on their best behaviour.

This week, the Gauteng ANC dipped a tentative toe into the murky waters surrounding President Jacob Zuma’s leadership after the Constitutional Court findings against him. The provincial executive committee called on Zuma “to reflect deeply and do the right thing”.

One can almost sense where the PEC wants to get to. It clearly wants Zuma to go, but stopped just short of taking the bull by the horns. Either for lack of courage or for political prudence, it couldn’t get itself to say it out loud. So it ends up sitting on the fence, which is an uncomfortable place for politicians to be. It reeks of spinelessness.

Despite the province’s restraint, however, the Gauteng ANC has earned the wrath of other provinces for daring to even insinuate that there was a misdemeanour on the part of Zuma. Both the women’s and youth leagues in the province have distanced themselves from this “non-decision”.

But it seems the PEC has yet to learn from the old adage that if you take a shot at the king, you had better make sure you kill him; otherwise you’re dead meat. There are no half measures.

Gauteng has never warmed to Zuma, who’s seen by some as an untutored country bumpkin — and a corrupt one — who has nothing in common with the progressive mores of such a vast conurbation. Zuma seems to have returned the favour, one time referring disparagingly to “clever blacks” who walk their dogs in the morning, which he deems to be un-African.

Had Gauteng got its way, Zuma would never have been the country’s president. In 2007 in Polokwane, the province lined up behind Tokyo Sexwale, who, realising he had no chance of winning, threw in his lot with Zuma. Sexwale was later rewarded with a cabinet post.

In Mangaung five years later, Gauteng again gave Zuma a wide berth, supporting a somewhat lacklustre Kgalema Motlanthe, who behaved as though he’d been pushed into the contest against his better judgment. Gauteng’s cause was undermined by Cyril Ramaphosa, one of its favourite sons, who joined forces with a beleaguered Zuma, who seemed ready for the taking.

Had Ramaphosa had the courage to join up with Motlanthe to compete for the leadership against Zuma, South Africa would probably be a different place with better prospects.

But then courage and Ramaphosa don’t seem to go together.

We’re currently witnessing him publicly shredding his own reputation in the service of probably the most corrupt leader the country has seen.

A few weeks ago, in the wake of the latest revelations around the Gupta family, Ramaphosa spoke forcefully against state capture.

A few optimistic souls cheered maniacally and mused that he was laying down the law and a foundation for the top job. Not so fast. We’ve been here before. It was just another false dawn.

Gauteng’s lack of political clout is often hard to explain. Although it’s the smallest province, it’s the most populous, with 25% of the country’s population and growing very fast. It accounts for 33% of South Africa’s GDP, 10% of sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP and 7% of Africa’s. Most of the country’s big companies are headquartered here and so is the stock exchange, and most multinational companies have based their African operations here.

The province is also home to some of the country’s most prominent educational and research institutions. It stands to reason that the province is where some of the country’s sharpest minds reside. Gauteng therefore contains all the paraphernalia, the wherewithal, that make South Africa tick. Removing it would be like ripping out the heart from a human being. The organism would simply die.

As far as South Africa — or even Southern Africa — is concerned, Gauteng could well be the centre of the universe.

And yet politically it doesn’t seem to cut the mustard.

It is also being ignored. Premier David Makhura revealed recently that he’s never had a meeting with Zuma to discuss issues relating to the province — which is like a CEO snubbing the most profitable section of his operation.

Two issues uppermost in voters’ minds in the August elections will be the detested e-tolls and Zuma’s unpopularity. Both are outside the purview of the provincial ANC. And yet it will be blamed should the ANC lose the province.

On taking office, Makhura appointed a task team to look into the e-tolls debacle. It led to a meaningless fudge. Zuma, too, is proving to be an immovable conundrum.

The ANC in Gauteng had better figure out how best to deal with these issues, or there may be a bloodbath in August.