S. Africa president says party in dumps
JOHANNESBURG — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Saturday that the nation’s ruling party must work to regain popular support after being embroiled in corruption scandals and divided by factional rivalries.
Marking the African National Congress’ 110th anniversary, Ramaphosa struck a somber note. He emphasized that the party of Nelson Mandela, which helped South Africa to achieve democracy, has lost voter backing.
“We must be forthright in recognizing, and deal decisively with, the reality that ANC structures are in a poor state,” Ramaphosa said. “Many of them are focused on internal organizational conflicts, factionalism and furthering the self-interest of individual leaders rather than the aspirations of communities they are meant to serve.”
The anniversary event, held in Polokwane in the northern Limpopo province, came days after a state-backed judicial investigation revealed how some of the party’s top officials had benefited from corruption.
The African National Congress is sharply divided between members who back Ramaphosa, the party’s leader, and those who are loyal to former President Jacob Zuma, who has been embroiled in legal battles since he left office in 2018.
Zuma’s refusal to appear before the inquiry commission led to him being sentenced in July to 15 months in prison. The decision sparked riots that descended into widespread looting and destruction of property in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces.
More than 340 people died in the rioting.
The African National Congress came to power in 1994 in the country’s first democratic elections, with Mandela becoming South Africa’s first Black president.
But its support has declined in recent years, and it received less than 50% of votes cast in local elections in October, its worst-ever performance at the polls.
Ramaphosa said many who supported the party had punished it by not voting.
“Many citizens demonstrated their dissatisfaction with the ANC and its performance by staying away from the polls,” he said Saturday.
The party is set to hold its national elective conference later this year, and Ramaphosa is expected to seek a second term as the party’s leader. But he faces significant opposition from those still loyal to Zuma.