ANC let loose the dogs of war in EFF dealings
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THE IDEA that the nation is larger than the sum of its parts readily finds an echo in the executive capital’s Union Buildings, the archetypal imperial monument carefully designed by Sir Herbert Baker to inspire both awe and reverence.
The current democratic republic, undergoing serious mid-life convulsions, indisputably fits the bill as the deserving successor to the British and later the Afrikaners.
But the ruling elite’s headquarters at Luthuli House still retains some of the mental trappings of an imperial power, especially when it comes to dealing with their provinces.
The instruction of the ANC’s national secretariat to the party’s KwaZulu-Natal provincial leadership to rerun the recent electoral conference – in which eThekwini mayor James Nxumalo defeated the party’s regional treasurer, Zandile Gumede for the post of regional chairman – has marked a spectacular degree of discord between the controlling levers of Luthuli House and its provincial membership.
Regardless of what the electoral ballots revealed and despite the head of the secretariat, Gwede Mantashe’s KwaZulu-Natal counterpart, Sihle Zikalala, reportedly declaring the conference “credible and legitimate” the relative ease with which the Luthuli House organ grinders from their commanding height were able to order a rerun of the eThekwini region’s elections has given ideas to those seeking short cuts to change.
An explanation for this trust deficit may indeed lie in power politics.
When the supporters of formidable leaders like the premier, the mayor of the country’s third-largest metro, and the SACP, the ANC’s long-standing ally, charge the ANC secretariat with viewing the provinces as mere small fry and question the national secretariat’s rationale of intrusiveness on subjects of elections, there are grounds to probe the likelihood of an emerging constitutional breakdown.
The all-important KZN leaderships’ offices were reduced to ciphers. Their roles limited to expressions of unhappiness. Progressive opinions have already been inclined to view the national secretariat’s flexing of muscles with both suspicion and distaste.
History will undeniably recognise the sense of correctness and the seminal roles of the progressive KZN leaderships ushering clinical economic management of the province and metro in a devastated economy.
What is the ANC secretariat’s obligation to the party’s members? Is it to lord over them or to be of service to their interests? No wonder the smart alecs in Luthuli House are accused of bringing the organisation into disrepute.
To a large extent this wariness has originated from the themes that divided the Union and the Confederacy in the American Civil War 150 years ago.
In the popular imagination, states’ rights were seen as platforms of bigotry and associated with either slave owners or politicians such as Strom Thurmond and George Wallace, who did their utmost to prevent the passage of Civil Rights legislation.
By implication, the opposition to excessive autonomy for states of union have become associated with forces intent on top-down social engineering to rectify alleged local wrongs.
Not surprisingly, there are KZN ANC members upset that seemingly partisan backroom political strategists in Joburg have thumbed their noses at the party’s biggest affiliate.
For these disgruntled members there are two concerns.
First, there is mounting anger over the arbitrariness of Luthuli House. They seek an end to the politically inspired, discretionary use of national power.
Secondly, there are those who are pressing for a drastic revision of the national- regional relationship on electoral matters.
This week the spokesman for the EFF, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, accused ANC acolytes of beating up his comrades during the State of the Nation address.
This drew howls of protest from Parliament’s ruling benches’ goody two-shoes. The History of Little Goody TwoShoes is a children’s story published by John Newbery in London in 1765. The story popularised the phrase “goody two-shoes”, often used to describe an excessively virtuous person.
When asked by the Speaker’s chair to withdraw his remarks, Ndlozi’s riposte was that a recant would betray his “revolutionary conscience”.
It would seem intolerance is part of the ANC’s DNA. In exile it styled itself as the sole authentic voice of the oppressed. It shunned organisations like the PAC.
Now intolerance has also infected its functionaries in the country. The acquisition of power has made the ANC’s office bearers more, not less, intolerant.
Hark back to Polokwane and earlier. Julius Malema, former president of the ANC’s Youth League and now commanderin-chief of the opposition EFF, the ANC’s bête noire, was prepared to kill for President Jacob Zuma.
So resounding was Malema’s power in the ANC that when he went against the grain of its foreign policy wisdom on Botswana his clout had marked his final days within its ranks. He and his caravan were spat out like sputum.
A churlish ANC let loose the dogs of war.
Rest assured, the wolves at the Luthuli House door will exploit these divisions to foment even more dissent.
Ami Nanackchand is a journalist.