The ANC’s latest horse-trading catastrophe
In politics, nothing much can be done without horse-trading and entering into tactical alliances. That President Cyril Ramaphosa is head of state today is thanks partly to the deals he and his backers had to enter into with other interest groups in the party before the ANC’s 2017 national conference. In Ramaphosa’s case the situation was further complicated by the outcome of the conference, which meant that he would have to find a way of working with the very faction in the party he was meant to be ousting.
As we have seen with Ramaphosa, political horse-trading can bring about a messy outcome, one that can turn a victor into a prisoner of his own victory. Suddenly, despite having the constitutional power to do so, you can’t appoint a cabinet of your choice but have to accommodate individuals you do not think highly of just because they are wanted by the faction you need to keep happy. Defying the wishes of the faction risks undoing the “unity” that made it possible for you to ascend to high office.
This week, the leaders of the ruling party in KwaZulu-Natal found themselves having to enter into a political deal that threatens to end their newly acquired reputation, at least among party members, as a wing of the ANC that has successfully broken with the Jacob Zuma-era culture of political impunity for political officeholders.
Soon after Zuma left office, we heard ANC leaders in the province singing a different tune, abandoning the “innocent until proven guilty” mantra they used to employ when shielding the former president and other leaders accused of wrongdoing. They acted swiftly against those accused of corruption, incompetence or dereliction of duty, without first waiting for long court processes to be concluded.
To those who still believed that the corruption-engulfed ruling party could find its way out of the morass, the KwaZulu-Natal ANC was a lodestar. Provincial chair and premier Sihle Zikalala and provincial secretary Mdumiseni Ntuli were now being spoken of in the same manner ANC sympathisers speak of Northern Cape chair and premier Zamani Saul, the supposed role model for “new dawn” cadres.
But then, for Zikalala and Ntuli to have firm control over the party’s largest province by membership, they needed to take charge of its largest region — eThekwini. Since 2005, this has been the most influential region in terms of the ANC’s internal election processes. It usually has one of the biggest delegations in conferences, due to its membership base. In recent years it has been under the control of Zandile Gumede, who was removed last year as both mayor and regional chair amid allegations of corruption, as well as her failure to run what was, by then, the only important metro controlled by an ANC caucus.
Since her mayoral chains were taken away, Gumede has proved to be a headache for provincial party bosses. Despite her becoming a backbencher in council, it was clear the loyalty of ANC councillors was split between her and the new mayor, making it hard for Mxolisi Kaunda to run the city.
And then there was the upcoming regional conference, which would have been a huge embarrassment for Zikalala and Ntuli if Gumede, who they removed, stood again for the chairperson position and won.
Hence the controversial deal that has seen her leave her job at Durban City Hall to take up a seat in Pietermaritzburg as a member of the provincial legislature. It saves the provincial leaders from a bruising fight and allows the new mayor to finally take political charge of the metro without being opposed at every turn by disgruntled Gumede supporters. In that sense it looks like a smart political move.
But in reality the move is catastrophic for the ANC. At a time when the party is facing growing public anger as a result of revelations about the looting of Covid-19 funds, the KwaZulu-Natal ANC’s move has sent out a message that corruption is rewarded, not punished, in its ranks.
Next time Ramaphosa and other leaders speak of “stern action” against corruption, the name Zandile Gumede will be a reminder for many not to believe them.
In politics, compromises and tactical alliances are necessary to attain power, but such agreements must be based on principle. Because our politicians believe in attaining power by any means, they tend to ignore principles and end up with agreements that tie their legs and feet, resulting in their political paralysis in government.
Of course the solution to all this is obvious, and it is not a political one. It is for the police and the National Prosecuting Authority to act with speed in dealing with corruption cases, so that no politician with a cloud hanging over their head can continue wielding power on the grounds they have not been found guilty by a court of law.