NEC is engaged in sideshows instead of real issues

Malikane correctly observed that “charging is a state action ... some will not be charged and others will be charged.

“Those who are not charged may be charged after 30 days. (This opens) a way for classic abuse of the state to pursue a political agenda in the ANC… the prosecutors are now in the most powerful position to decide who becomes ANC leader and not the branches.”

On the political front, the NEC decision puts Ramaphosa in an unassailable position. He can now confidently avail himself to serve another term as President of the

ANC and of the country.

Unless something dramatic happens in the next three weeks, this is the stubborn reality that Ramaphosa’s opponents must come to grips with. Given the balance of forces in the NEC, the likelihood of a reversal of this far-reaching decision is as remote as that of a snowball in hell.

The NEC could not have come at a better time for Ramaphosa as it serves as a useful distraction. Since taking over the reins as President, the country has slid further into a socio-economic quagmire. The economy is down on its knees.

Business confidence has plummeted to the all-time low last experienced in the mid-1980s.

The country is still reeling from the impact of Covid-19. The energy crisis is no closer to being resolved despite repeated promises. The mandarins at Eskom have told the country to brace itself for five years of load shedding.

Three years into his presidency, Ramaphosa has nothing to show.

Instead of focusing on the real challenges, both the NEC and Ramaphosa are engaged in sideshows and public relations exercise that are supposed to give an impression that something is being done.

When it is all said and done, the unadulterated display of triumphalism that characterise the ongoings in the ANC will not address the socio-economic malaise the country finds itself.

If anything, they are likely to divert all our energies from resolving the challenges faced by the country.