The election next Wednesday will be a defining moment in South Africa's history. The choice we make will determine whether our country becomes a successful democracy or continues the downward spiral towards a failed state. If South Africa is to become a successful democracy we must at least, in this election, keep the ANC below the two-thirds majority it needs to change the Constitution.
The ANC's internal conflict and fragmentation will escalate in the years ahead, and this will make the ruling clique in the party increasingly inclined to centralise and abuse its power. Giving this clique unfettered power to change the Constitution could terminally undermine democracy. The ANC's ruling clique will abuse its power and stop at nothing to ensure that they are shielded from corruption investigations, even if it means undermining the Constitution. The Zanufication of the ANC is underway, and we have the power to stop it.
So far, the controlling clique in the ANC has already disbanded the Scorpions, fired the former National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP), Vusi Pikoli, and engineered the premature release from prison of Zuma's benefactor, Schabir Shaik. All these steps have been taken to prevent the successful investigation and prosecution of corruption charges against Zuma and his cohorts. The final triumph of undue influence was the decision of the acting NDPP, Mokotedi Mpshe, to drop the charges against Zuma. Shortly thereafter Mr Blade Nzimande, secretary general of the SACP, announced that the tripartite alliance was pleased with Mr Mpshe and would probably confirm him in his position after Zuma's election as president -- thus confirming the extent of the political pressure on the NDPP.
With this background, it is clear that Zuma will stop at nothing to undermine the Constitution and the rule of law to enrich and protect himself and his cronies. Given the events of the past year, it would be grossly irresponsible for voters to entrust Zuma with a two-thirds majority, when this will predictably lead to the demise of constitutionalism in South Africa.
The ANC has already threatened to revoke property rights under the guise of expediting land reform. The ANC has already warned of its plans to undermine press freedom by instituting a media tribunal. Last week, Zuma insinuated that judges should not be independent, but accountable to government. An ANC two-thirds majority will give Zuma the power to revoke property rights, destroy press freedom and make the courts an extension of the ANC - just as the NDPP is already an extension of the ANC.
If the courts are made accountable to the ANC, Zuma will not have to worry about the DA's application to the High Court for a judicial review of the NPA's decision to withdraw the charges against him. He will be able abuse the courts in the same way that he abused the NPA to ensure that he never faces trial, or that the outcome of a trial suits his purposes.
The extent of the ANC's plans to change the Constitution and entrench its power are clear from a draft Constitution Amendment Bill, that has come into the DA's possession. When you cut through the jargon, it shows that the ANC wants municipalities to be reduced to administrative arms of central government. This will enable a centralised ANC to severely limit the mandate of an elected local government, especially where the ANC does not govern and where local authorities legitimately refuse to implement ANC policies.
If it manages to pass this Constitutional amendment, giving itself a range of reasons to undermine local government, it could effectively nullify voters' choice and enforce ANC policy from the centre. The ANC will be able to continue its power abuse by removing important constitutional mechanisms that local governments can currently use to counter such abuse.
This move will continue the trend towards centralisation, cadre deployment, corruption and the criminalised state - because all other centres of power and authority are increasingly being rendered toothless.
The ANC has seen how the DA is successfully implementing open, opportunity-driven policies in the City of Cape Town, and other municipalities that we govern. The ANC knows that we have used the Constitution to defend our sites of local government against illegal interference and power abuse by the ANC. They are now seeking to reduce these defence mechanisms.They want to do this well before the local government elections of 2011, when they know that towns and cities across South Africa will vote DA.
That is why the ANC wants to centralise power in national government and prevent the DA from delivering on its mandate in other spheres of government. The ANC would rather poor people suffer than allow the DA to deliver.
If Zuma is given the power to change the Constitution, this course of events is inevitable. We know that Zuma believes that the ANC is more important than the Constitution because he has said as much, on more than one occasion. What he means by this is that the ruling clique in the ruling party must have supreme power, unchecked by the Constitutional mechanisms designed to curb power abuse.
It is therefore imperative that we keep the ANC below a two-thirds majority nationally, so that it cannot change the Constitution to continue the power abuse designed to enrich its leaders and shield them from the consequences.
This is the message that the DA will drive in the final week of this campaign. Every South African must know the dangers of a Zuma two-thirds majority. Every South African must know how important it is to prevent this. If they fail to do so, the voters only have themselves to blame.
The DA is the only party that can stop Zuma's clique from abusing its power. Only the DA is big enough - and strong enough - to stop Zuma from taking us down the path of cronyism, corruption and criminalisation. Only the DA stands between Zuma and the failed state.
This is the text of a speech by Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille, after unveiling a new poster to be erected countrywide for the last phase of the election campaign, Cape Town, April 13 2009
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