The ANC has been caught in the ultimate catch 22. The result of Zuma’s ostensible speech about the constitutional court finding on Nkandla, drew the line clearly dividing the ANC in two; those who stand behind Zuma and those who wish for him to step down. Zuma’s valiant attempt to remedy the embarrassing saga of Nkandla, was only met with disgruntled sighs from members of the opposition, and unfortunately only with more antipathy.
The conundrum is that the Constitutional Court has ultimately caught Zuma out, much to the satisfaction of the EFF and DA whom have driven the campaign against Nkandla. Therein is the problem. The very first rule of the ‘Art of War’ is “divide and conquer” which states that only a divided house can fall, which illustrates that the EFF and DA have succeeded in exactly what they sought out to do. This leaves the ANC stuck in an uncomfortable position of being unable to defend itself at the Constitutional Court’s judgment that Zuma undeniably, violated the constitution.
As the ANC rests firmly upon the Constitution, it therefore brings the ANC into major disrepute internally. If Zuma resigns, then the opposition has won, if they haven’t already won this round. If Zuma stays, then the ANC is defending a violated constitution, which damages the credibility of the movement and sanctity of the past. ANC leaders such as Secretary General Gwede Mantashe have warned the ANC in not falling privy to the agenda of the opposition by stating “This is a call by opposition forces on the ANC to tear itself apart. The call for impeachment is nothing new or genuine. It is an ongoing election platform ploy resuscitated every single year by the opposition in the form of a notion of no confidence.”
Whilst most of the ANC leadership has remained steadfast in supporting Zuma, the rhetoric of ANC members at a grass root level since Zuma’s speech tells a different story. Devoted ANC members have taken to facebook, expressing their exasperation and sense of resignation at the situation, reluctantly admitting that it might be time for Zuma to resign after all, if only for the sake of preserving the ANC movement.
Although Zuma has taken seemingly honorable steps in apologizing and agreeing to pay back a portion of the money for non-security features, such as the swimming pool, the damage that this has done to the ANC cannot be impugned and it might not be enough. If the public is unaccepting of the apology- as it appears and if the ANC members take to the streets, then one must wonder if Zuma’s resignation is the only way for the ANC to redeem itself.
As the crack of division deepens in the ANC, more (present and former) ministers are joining the like of Gordhan, Manuel and Kathrada in calling for his resignation. Only last week Zuma was booed in Pretoria, whilst his usual support base- the church, have gathered and advised him to resign. The message from ANC stalwart Ahmed Kathrada is just the beginning, as he states, “I know that if I were in the Presidents shoes, I would step down with immediate effect. I believe that this is what would help the country to find its way out of a path that it never imagined it would be on, but one that it must move out of soon”.
Kathrada goes on to quote the famous words of the MK, “There comes a time in the life of every nation when it must choose to submit or fight”. The President reluctantly admitted that this scenario has proven to be a lesson for the ANC, undoubtedly one that will go down in history. Yet if the leadership is willing to learn from this error, then indeed the ANC stands a chance of being redeemed. As ANC Parliamentary Chief Whip, Jackson Mthembu stated, “We should respect all of the arms of state, including our courts. Nobody will speak negatively on this judgment. We need to look at how we got here and talk to out principals as well, so that what we do is on the same wavelength as them.”
Ultimately, the crux of the matter is that ANC members at large are untenably torn between standing behind Zuma and facing the damage done, or calling for his resignation and surrendering to defeat. At the end of it, we can only ask ourselves if the inclination of Zuma and the ANC leadership to remain obdurate will damage the ANC or if Zuma’s resignation would hand over power to the opposition, which would also be at the demise of the ANC in the long run. One thing is for sure; the opposition has won this round.
This article first appeared in the New Age.
