I am a member of the ANC and have been since 1989 when I was just 11 years old. Painfully, for the first time in my life, I am overcome by great doubts about the party.
This is borne from an anxiety over whether I am still truly a member of an organisation called the ANC, or am just part of a compendium of loose groupings united by self-interest around one man, President Jacob Zuma.
In short, it would seem that the ANC has become nothing but a personality cult with Zuma at the helm.
This for me is a profound dilemma – one which I believe is shared by many who care about the attainment of the ANC’s historical mission.
My doubts have nothing to do with whether joining the ANC was a rational decision. Back in 1989 the organisation represented a particular political mission – one which resonated with, and accommodated our political convictions.
But come December 2015 many of us who care about the movement cannot avoid these questions:
l Does the ANC continue to represent our political convictions:
l Do many of us who joined the ANC still see it as a vehicle for achieving its once set political objectives? and
l Is it in its current form, still a prudent political choice?
If one removes sentiment when discussing this matter, the basis of the huge doubts we are experiencing cannot be overlooked. In the place of the ANC we once joined are self-centred groupings with no particular political direction or guiding ideology.
The party appears to have been deliberately stripped of all political content and transformed into a giant, empty shell.
To many of us it seems that there is no political or ideological space left within the ANC to be pursued.
In short, the ANC has temporarily – one really hopes not permanently – ceased to exist. What we have instead is a Jacob Zuma personality cult masquerading as the ANC.
Regrettably, as a result of this situation, I have never before felt such enormous political disenchantment towards the ANC and its leadership echelons as I now feel.
The compromises by the ANC leadership in the face of brazen disregard of ANC principles and the country’s policies by the president and his close political and personal associates, is killing the ANC and sending the country into disarray.
In this regard we view Zuma’s professed love for the ANC and his “ANC-comes-first” rhetoric as nothing but a ruse to use the ANC to plunder the country’s resources.
It would seem that the ANC is being transformed into a giant pyramid scheme. At the bottom are the poor masses struggling to survive yet forced to carry on their shoulders a greedy and corrupt political elite.
In this set-up, the rules are not unlike those of a pyramid scheme: if you want to make it to the top and become rich, just bring in as many people (ANC branches) as possible.
Thus money is being used to lure in members of the loose groupings under the guise of ANC branches.
But the reality is that within such a system there can only be few who really get rich – at some point the pyramid will collapse. The greed of the political elite will become too heavy for the poor masses at the bottom to support.
When this happens, all hell will break loose. The masses who feel betrayed will express their anger the best way they know how. And who will be able to blame them?
In my view, if the ANC fails to act decisively at this juncture and reject this personality cult, it will betray utterly its historical mission.
So far one scandal associated with the president after another has been accommodated. Has this helped?
The scandals have only become bigger. Nkandla has been dwarfed by the massive losses to the economy caused by Nhlanhla Nene’s unnecessary sudden dismissal.
And the same outcome is likely from the secret nuclear energy deal presided over by another presidential lackey, Tina Joemat-Pettersson.
Such developments suggest a cult of psychotic proportions, one ready to pillage state resources no matter the costs.
As ordinary ANC members we know that we no longer matter in this ANC pyramid scheme of things.
We know that what we say carries no weight – we have no money to donate to the strengthening of those at the top of the pile, or those aspiring to be on top.
We anticipate another of the dismissive, arrogant responses that we get from those at the top or those far up the feeding chain.
But yet, even at this twilight hour, I still entertain a distant hope that things can be turned around.
This is why I and others like me are still in the ANC.
It is our humble plea that the ANC, or whatever is left of it, awaken to its responsibility and make the choice that it faces at this historical juncture.
Either the ANC recalls Jacob Zuma as the ANC and country’s president – together with his army of lieutenants – or it loses the people of South Africa and the country.
The ANC must destroy the Jacob Zuma personality cult or the cult will destroy the ANC and the country.
It is that simple.
Mzukisi Makatse is a member of the ANC and writes in his personal capacity.
ANC’s survival hinges on a stark historical choice
This is borne from an anxiety over whether I am still truly a member of an organisation called the ANC, or am just part of a compendium of loose groupings united by self-interest around one man, President Jacob Zuma.
In short, it would seem that the ANC has become nothing but a personality cult with Zuma at the helm.
This for me is a profound dilemma – one which I believe is shared by many who care about the attainment of the ANC’s historical mission.
My doubts have nothing to do with whether joining the ANC was a rational decision. Back in 1989 the organisation represented a particular political mission – one which resonated with, and accommodated our political convictions.
But come December 2015 many of us who care about the movement cannot avoid these questions:
l Does the ANC continue to represent our political convictions:
l Do many of us who joined the ANC still see it as a vehicle for achieving its once set political objectives? and
l Is it in its current form, still a prudent political choice?
If one removes sentiment when discussing this matter, the basis of the huge doubts we are experiencing cannot be overlooked. In the place of the ANC we once joined are self-centred groupings with no particular political direction or guiding ideology.
The party appears to have been deliberately stripped of all political content and transformed into a giant, empty shell.
To many of us it seems that there is no political or ideological space left within the ANC to be pursued.
In short, the ANC has temporarily – one really hopes not permanently – ceased to exist. What we have instead is a Jacob Zuma personality cult masquerading as the ANC.
Regrettably, as a result of this situation, I have never before felt such enormous political disenchantment towards the ANC and its leadership echelons as I now feel.
The compromises by the ANC leadership in the face of brazen disregard of ANC principles and the country’s policies by the president and his close political and personal associates, is killing the ANC and sending the country into disarray.
In this regard we view Zuma’s professed love for the ANC and his “ANC-comes-first” rhetoric as nothing but a ruse to use the ANC to plunder the country’s resources.
It would seem that the ANC is being transformed into a giant pyramid scheme. At the bottom are the poor masses struggling to survive yet forced to carry on their shoulders a greedy and corrupt political elite.
In this set-up, the rules are not unlike those of a pyramid scheme: if you want to make it to the top and become rich, just bring in as many people (ANC branches) as possible.
Thus money is being used to lure in members of the loose groupings under the guise of ANC branches.
But the reality is that within such a system there can only be few who really get rich – at some point the pyramid will collapse. The greed of the political elite will become too heavy for the poor masses at the bottom to support.
When this happens, all hell will break loose. The masses who feel betrayed will express their anger the best way they know how. And who will be able to blame them?
In my view, if the ANC fails to act decisively at this juncture and reject this personality cult, it will betray utterly its historical mission.
So far one scandal associated with the president after another has been accommodated. Has this helped?
The scandals have only become bigger. Nkandla has been dwarfed by the massive losses to the economy caused by Nhlanhla Nene’s unnecessary sudden dismissal.
And the same outcome is likely from the secret nuclear energy deal presided over by another presidential lackey, Tina Joemat-Pettersson.
Such developments suggest a cult of psychotic proportions, one ready to pillage state resources no matter the costs.
As ordinary ANC members we know that we no longer matter in this ANC pyramid scheme of things.
We know that what we say carries no weight – we have no money to donate to the strengthening of those at the top of the pile, or those aspiring to be on top.
We anticipate another of the dismissive, arrogant responses that we get from those at the top or those far up the feeding chain.
But yet, even at this twilight hour, I still entertain a distant hope that things can be turned around.
This is why I and others like me are still in the ANC.
It is our humble plea that the ANC, or whatever is left of it, awaken to its responsibility and make the choice that it faces at this historical juncture.
Either the ANC recalls Jacob Zuma as the ANC and country’s president – together with his army of lieutenants – or it loses the people of South Africa and the country.
The ANC must destroy the Jacob Zuma personality cult or the cult will destroy the ANC and the country.
It is that simple.
Mzukisi Makatse is a member of the ANC and writes in his personal capacity.
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