New party will be born out of the chaos

DAGGERS are drawn, gladiators have unsheathed their weaponry, as combatants prepare for the ultimate showdown.

The victor will inherit a divided country, the loser will be banished into oblivion. It will become a titanic battle for supremacy. With shock and awe, the ANC is heading for political catastrophe.

The top leaders have lost control of the party. The political seismic shock waves are being felt across the entire political landscape. Is this a calculated risk to regain the moral high ground, or an act of desperation?

Our national politics have moved beyond the bounds of extreme partisanship into the realm of political madness. Our leaders are in political denial, as the country is reduced to financial ashes, under the deadly shadows of Covid-19.

Denialism, defeatism, brazen display of political chest thumping, gross adherence to gaining wealth under stealth, is the vocabulary of the gladiators, as they display the regional might in the quest for total supremacy.

The ANC juggernaut is in serious trouble. It’s a vertiginous decline for a party that gave so much to so many.

It frittered away its gains in a huge maze of corruption scandals. The dominance of certain factions hobbles nimble decision-making, perpetuates a feudal political culture, encourages sycophancy, stifles inner-party democracy and smothers talent. Political parties such as the ANC, with a rich and storied history, do not fade away.

A party of the fabled “masses”, that once claimed to represent every interest, is rapidly losing support in the country’s intensely fragmented polity.

At this critical juncture in our history, we have become a traumatised nation. Are we heading for a cataclysmic showdown?

The consequences will be felt for many years to come. A new ANC will be born under the deadly gaze of Covid-19. FAROUK ARAIE | Joburg