Cyril represents the ANC’s last hope, says analyst

The ANC is at a political crossroads as the party heads towards its national policy conference this weekend.

Should it continue as a Marxist-oriented liberation movement that pursues populist policies, or become a moderate centre-left democratic governing party?

According to one expert, the ruling party is walking down the old liberation road that will lead it into political oblivion. Unless it adapts to modern political culture, it will die a natural death.

Political analyst Andre Duvenhage, a professor at the North-West University, said the ANC was still locked in the concept of a national democratic revolution (NDR), which retarded its growth as a governing party.

“The whole NDR is an outdated concept,” he said.

“You cannot be a party in government and at the same time be a liberation movement. The NDR developed from the new Marxist perspective and is not suitable in the post-industrial revolution world.

“The ANC should reposition itself as a political party, probably to the left of centre, or a social democratic party.”

If it failed to adapt, it risked being marginalised as a liberation dinosaur.

“The ANC, as the broad church that it is, is an outdated organisation. It cannot do what it is supposed to do under the current political environment. In structure and in ideology it is a freedom movement. It should reposition itself as a political party.”

Duvenhage said the two main candidates in the succession race for the ANC presidency, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa, represented the populist and moderate approaches.

Dlamini-Zuma would have no choice but to follow President Jacob Zuma’s stance of radical populism, Duvenhage said.

Ramaphosa had taken the moderate route, focusing on order in the party.

“He has adopted a statesmanship approach. He wants to revive the party and restore it to its previous glory,” Duvenhage said.