It is about time that the ruling party faces reality and takes stock of itself if it still wants to remain popular among its supporters and the outside world.
It is a proven fact that its popularity among the populace has dwindled, with more than 40 per cent of registered voters abstaining from voting in the local government elections on August 3. That, on its own, dealt the ANC a major blow as it lost control of major metropolitans.
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The organisation has been marred by various calls for president Jacob Zuma to step down which also included the party’s veterans. It has also been marred by the alleged state capture by the Gupta family which has implicated the president and some members of his cabinet.
As much as the state capture has been denied, it has divided the organisation into splinter groups which is unbearable in the public eye.
Now, instead of dealing with the matter at hand, Zuma has turned around and accused the West of sowing seeds of division within the party because they have joined BRICS that is aligned to the East.
That may be true to some extent, but lately the accusations that have been levelled against Zuma, including the Nkandla scandal and now lately the state capture, have embarrassed the organisation to an extent that it has almost lost all its dignity.
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The fact of the matter lies in the reality that the ruling needs to own up to its blunders, regroup and if need be, suffer the consequences of its mistakes, whether intentional or not. If the call for Zuma to step down is justifiable through dialogue, he needs to abide by the wishes of the people.
No individual is bigger than the organisation, but lately patronage has destroyed the party. It must go back to basics or else it is doomed.
