ANC meeting a critical test

The ANC must love the phrase “Innocent until proven guilty”. It has been used repeatedly to defend those accused of corruption or maladministration or to divert attention from these grievous lapses in governance. That is why a resolution adopted at the Nasrec electoral conference in 2017 is now up for debate. That resolution relates to the duty of ANC officials accused of a crime – arrested and charged – to step aside from both party and government office to allow investigations to proceed.

Back in 2017, that didn’t appear to disturb anyone… and especially not those who should have been in the sights of the prosecution authorities. At that time, under Jacob Zuma’s presidency of the ANC and of the country, our law enforcement agencies were largely a joke and had been manipulated by Zuma to provide him and his accomplices with what seemed like a permanent shield.

Cyril Ramaphosa promised a clean-up when he took over from Zuma, but only in recent months has that promise started to bear fruit and prosecutions have been brought against those in the very highest ranks of the ANC, including its secretary-general Ace Magashule, a staunch Zuma ally.

Now, it seems that the “innocent until proven guilty” principle is something Magashule and his cabal want to use to enable them to hold on to office. No doubt they would want to hold on to their positions even after any court conviction, pending endless appeals and legal delaying actions, a la Zuma himself.

So, the current meeting of the ANC National Executive Committee is a critical test of two things. First, it will indicate how strong the Zuma faction is. If they succeed, a full on revolt against Ramaphosa will be next on their agenda.

But the other is a test of whether there is any morality left in the ANC.