Best of Cyril, Mbeki, Zuma rolled into one

Let me say this upfront: it is not a pleasurable prospect to learn from several media reports that the ANC is struggling to get President Jacob Zuma to vacate the Union Buildings.

Indeed, it is the same political party that rallied to his defence when opposition parties, civil society groups and ordinary South Africans were calling for him to step down. I just am not one who enjoys schadenfreude, least of all towards a party that fought so hard for our liberation. My concern, however, is the party’s quest to find a new cadre who would be the epitome of a changed party.

This search has been an ongoing affair from the time of former president Thabo Mbeki. Most South Africans will remember that the “new cadre” was the leitmotif of the ANC National General Council session held in Port Elizabeth in the early 2000s.

With the party beset by rampant corruption, which sadly is still the case even today (with reports of Mandela funeral money scams in the Eastern Cape and Vrede Dairy Project in the Free State), delegates made an impassioned plea for a “new cadre”.

By “new cadre” they meant an individual whose interests would be subsumed by the interests of the party. Such an individual would put the party, and by extension the country, first as s/he serves.

Ironically, I daresay that Zuma must have crudely wanted to articulate that notion when he was quoted as saying “the ANC comes first”.

Not having much of a gift of the gab, Nxamalala’s loud musings were consequently lost in translation.

Both Mbeki and Zuma represent the “exile generation”. These are the individuals who left the country and went to work for the ANC in countries such as Lusaka, Angola and London.

This generation came back to the country after the party was unbanned in 1990 and free to engage in open rather than surreptitious political activities.

Most of them, except for working for the party, had never been gainfully employed and were rather old for any meaningful job prospects. Consequently, they never possessed much property and had to start their lives afresh. The party, to its credit, never abandoned its dedicated cadres but made some MPs and others councillors after it won seats in the national and municipal elections.

It should be forgiven for thinking that to a greater or lesser extent the problem of cadres with no pecuniary means was solved. It could hardly have reckoned for the reality of comrades wanting more as they got more.

In the ensuing conspicuous consumption, the former exiles were joined by their counterparts who had remained in the country, the so-called inziles.

To borrow a phrase from British journalist Michela Wrong, every comrade thought it was “our turn to eat”.

It was thus an orgy of rushing to the feeding trough to grab whatever one could grab and gorge oneself and one’s comrades and just forget about others. It was a classic case of everyone for him/herself and God for us all. By the time the party realised the danger it had courted, it was patently too late and, sadly, it still is.

Each comrade seems to be hell-bent on “eating first and serving the people second”. The noble ideals of selflessness, sacrifice, service to the people and putting the party first seem to be passé.

The ascendancy of Cyril Ramaphosa at the helm seems to be a welcome prospect in a number of respects. Firstly, Ramaphosa is an inzile who was gainfully employed by the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) as its secretary – a position which ensured that he had an income. Secondly, after a stint as secretary-general of the ANC, he went into business and worked his socks off to accumulate wealth. He is well off and thus may not be tempted to slyly put his fingers in the country’s cookie jar. He has also spoken out against corruption which has been the bane of the country since the era of the late president Nelson Mandela.

Ramaphosa, by virtue of the aforementioned character traits, has generated a sense of optimism and euphoria not only among staunch ANC cadres but also among ordinary South Africans.

But the question remains: is Ramaphosa the embodiment of the “new cadre” the ANC is looking for? It may be too soon to tell. Some of the characteristics of what the party is looking for are at least evident in the man. He is vehemently opposed to corruption and has vowed to rid the party of its corrupt elements. He has been instrumental in the appointment of a new board for Eskom. But he has to do more to convince people he is the real McCoy.

The EFF keeps on reminding us that he is somewhat complicit to corruption as he has been part of the Zuma administration for a considerable time and was reticent.

Methinks they have a point. A dedicated cadre would have cared less for his/her own life and condemned corruption wherever and whenever s/he sees it.

I am not inclined to believe that he was biding his time. It is just that he was downright feckless.

I would suggest that the ANC needs a cadre with the wealth of Ramaphosa, the erudition of Mbeki and the bonhomie of Zuma. Here is why: with that wealth the country will not have angst about its assets. The erudition of Mbeki will help in explicating and conceptualising theory. A cadre unarmed in theory risks becoming a rabid populist. The geniality of Zuma will mean that the cadre will be able to identify with everyone from the educated to the hoi polloi. For all his faults, Nxamalala can connect easily with the people and even sings for them. Of course, I would not suggest that the new cadre should be musically gifted.

Lolonga Tali is a regular contributor to the Daily Dispatch and works in the heritage sector