Warning against diverting blame to ANC KZN
The ANC’s plans to reshape the provincial executive committee (PEC) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Gauteng as it repositions itself ahead of the local government elections, may be a little too late, according to political analysts.
ANC officials were expected to announce tomorrow their plans to “reconfigure” the provincial committees, following the party’s poor performance in the elections last year, that cost it its ruling party status.
Political analyst Dr Imraan Buccus believed that the ANC was unlikely to lead the province again.
Dr Buccus said the reconfiguration was a strategic move aimed at fostering unity within a party that has been increasingly fragmented in recent years.
“They may have attempted to deal with the idea of causing further divisions within the ANC but I might also add that I think it might be too little too late. We know in Gauteng and particularly in KZN the writing has been on the wall for a while. Poor service delivery, incompetence and corruption, has been the order of the day and I think that has led people to being completely disillusioned with the ANC,” he said.
Drawing parallels with the history of liberation movements across the continent, he cautioned that recovery from such steep declines was rarely successful.
“History teaches us that when liberation movements in power start a downward slide, they generally don't recover and we've seen this from Kenya to Ghana to Zambia to multiple other countries. And dwindling to 17% in KZN means that that will be a really tough recovery, if it were to recover. Although I would say it's virtually impossible that the ANC will recover to the extent that it could ever lead this province again,” said Buccus.
He added that the provincial leadership needed to take very seriously the idea of meaningful public participation.
“Listening to the voices of people particularly when it comes to their grievances around service delivery. We need to think about bottom up processes rather than people who are in leadership, assuming that they know what people want. If the looting of the public purse continues, it just further alienates the ANC”, he said.
In terms of reconfiguring the PEC, Buccus said it would be important to bring in some leaders from the old guard, such as former premier Sbu Ndebele who could offer help and support to the leadership in KZN.
Buccus pointed out that the number of Members of the Executive Council (MECs) within the PEC plays a crucial role in maintaining stability. “You don't want to upset that cohesion especially in the light of an upcoming election,” he said.
Political analyst Zakhele Ndlovu warned the party against diverting blame to the provincial leadership for issues that may lie elsewhere.
While Ndlovu acknowledged that the current leadership has made poor decisions, he said they were not solely responsible for the poor electoral outcome.
“The ANC wants someone to blame. Ultimately Ramaphosa and the NEC should take the blame and not place it on the province. To punish the leaders in KZN is not fair,” he said.
Analysing the reasons for the ANC's struggles, Ndlovu pointed to what he termed the “Jacob Zuma factor” as the main reason for the party's under performance in KZN.
Ndlovu said any changes to the PEC should be done with extreme care.
“They have to move very carefully and not make (Siboniso) Duma and (Bheki) Mtolo feel that they are no longer needed and push them into the MK Party which is waiting in the wings. That would be shooting themselves in the foot, especially since the local government elections are coming up,” he said.
Ndlovu too advised that party stalwarts like Ndebele and Mike Mabuyakhulu should be brought in to work alongside Duma, and the PEC.
Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, ANC spokesperson speaking on the sidelines of the party’s legotla currently taking place in Gauteng told SABC News that decisions regarding the PEC’s will be communicated and if any member was unhappy or wants further explanation on the decision, there will be room for engagement.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE