The ANC Parliamentary Caucus must examine its revolutionary conscience and do the right thing
The current turmoil facing the ANC – from Nkandla to State capture – and the feeble, but expected, response from the ANC NEC and NWC faction, is more of a sign that chickens are coming home for a serious political roasting. We have on numerous occasions warned on this platform and elsewhere before that the ANC should be careful never to liquidate itself into the Zuma personality cult. What we are now witnessing as a damaging consequence is that the ANC has been administered a powerful anaesthetic dose by the cult and is now on an irreversible death mode.
In this connection, the dominant ANC NEC and NWC faction is behaving like a perk of wolves that must scream in cacophonous unison to defend the cult at the calamitous expense of the ANC itself. They are neither prepared nor willing to do what they know is right because the cult has fed them not only the material spoils of power, but also a false consciousness of ‘me first’. They have become the proverbial parasites insidiously feeding at the soul of the ANC with their mouths dripping the Black, Green and Gold colours that are the lifeblood of the ANC. They have now resigned themselves to the painful inevitability of the death of the ANC and they can care less!
This is what should worry any right thinking person or member of the ANC, wherever they are and irrespective of political factions. We need to ask fundamental questions about this careless and reckless attitude regarding the health or otherwise of the ANC. For instance, if these parasites care less about inflicting deadly blows to the very vehicle (ANC) they use for their self-enrichment, what is their ultimate plan? Are they planning to bring about a different political animal, thus chasing away those of us still committed to the original ideals of the ANC?
Further, can anyone say for certain that if their ANC-turned gravy-train were to be derailed in the 2019 elections, the parasites will simply give up power and go work like everybody else? In fact, will these cult worshipers even allow a conducive environment for a free and fair 2019 elections, in the light of possible electoral loss by the ANC?
Accordingly, this is the reason we should never under-estimate or ignore the coalition of rogue elements made up of questionable members of MKMVA leadership, the infantile, greedy and tribalist ANCYL leadership and the useful tools in the ANCWL leadership. This is the real rogue unit that needs careful investigation to understand its nature and character because, if the ANC power is threatened in the 2019 national elections, their usefulness and true intentions will be revealed.
In this instance, a cursory glance at the statements made by certain elements of this rogue unit clearly point to a very dangerous future for South Africa. The call by the ANCYL leadership for MKMVA to take up arms in defence of president Zuma was not made by mistake. The labelling of people as CIA spies and imperialist agents by the MKMVA leadership was not aimless. The caution about ‘smallanyana’ skeletons in the closets of many ANC NEC members by the ANCWL leadership was not an uncalculated jest. These are all part of a preparatory process for the future all-out assault in defence of the current establishment at the helm of which is the Zuma personality cult. This I believe to be true with all my senses intact!
It is on this basis that I differ with President Mbeki when he says that we are not at the tipping point yet. Maybe his standing in the ANC and the careful nature of his statements in this regard constrain him from telling the objective truth. But the truth here is that when the ANC ignores important constitutional judgments; when the ANC bulldoze parliamentary processes to promote and protect a cult instead of the constitution; when the ANC ignores the political machinations in charging a sitting finance minister and later dropping those charges because they were non-existent to begin with; when the highest leadership structures of the ANC rubbish a detailed report alerting to deep-seated graft in the state institutions and more, then we should all know that we are at a tipping point.
It is in this connection that we should never denigrate or abdicate our fundamental responsibilities as citizens if we are to remain vigilant and ready to defend our hard won freedom. We say this because the strength of our democracy is in the collective ability of our people tenaciously and vigorously to act in unison in defence of their constitutional democracy. This is our civic duty as committed citizens of this beautiful African country. Needless to say, this important civic duty transcends party-political affiliation, comrade Gwede Mantashe, because what is at stake is not party-political interest, but a national interest!
It is on this basis that we call on the ANC Parliamentary caucus during the vote of no confidence on president Zuma not to listen to threats and blackmail about being sell-outs, as that has nothing to do with the values and mission of the ANC. What those threatening you are actually doing is rallying you, once again, in defence of the Zuma personality cult at the expense of the country and the ANC. History will not record that you were a disciplined cadre of the ANC for voting against a motion of no confidence on a monumentally flawed president Zuma. History will in fact record that when it mattered most, you abdicated your responsibility to save the country and the ANC from the Zuma calamity.
In this regard, you should remember that you joined the ANC as an individual, conscious of its mission and vision. You took a solemn oath to defend the ANC’s mission, not its wayward leaders. You therefore need to stay true to that oath as disciplined cadres of the movement. What comes first are the people of South Africa, not your dependency on the cult for your next deployment. So comrades, examine your conscience and do the right thing and vote to pass a motion of no confidence on the current president of the country, Jacob Zuma. That is what our country and its people demand of you.
Mzukisi Makatse is a member of the ANC and is writing in his personal capacity.
