South Africans no longer buying ANC’s patronising attitude

Former president Thabo Mbeki stood up to be counted recently, and agreed to Luthuli House’s request to travel to the Free State to contain whatever is left of the party in that part of the world.

It could have been seen as a waste of time by many, but the revered leader went anyway.

He left his desk from where he churns out work and impeccable advice to statesmen and organisations from around the world, to answer the call from the deeply divided ANC NEC.

He agreed to go “save” his beloved party of Nelson Mandela and Oliver Reginald Tambo, heading to the province that was run into the ground by Ace Magashule. This despite Mbeki, until 2019, having stayed away from participating and campaigning for the ANC.

Addressing an Eastern Cape PEC meeting last year, he explained that what was detailed in the party’s election manifesto prompted his return to Luthuli House under President Cyril Ramaphosa.

“The manifesto did not say ‘we’ve got a good story to tell’, it said  ‘we’ve made mistakes, we’ve done wrong things’,” the former statesman said.

The Free State, as far as Mbeki was concerned, should have been led by any leader but Magashule. The province’s former party strongman had been overlooked for the premier position several times during Mbeki’s presidency, a move that actually entrenched his support base until the election of former president Jacob Zuma, who wasted no time in putting his ally at the helm in the Free State.

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Regardless of this history that was probably one of the defining moments on the root of factionalism in the ANC, Mbeki had a task to renew and unite the provincial structures, now led by Magashule’s arch rival Mxolisi Dukwana.

Lest you have forgotten dear reader, this is the year of all levels of battles in the ANC. Members at the weakened and dysfunctional branches are fighting to be counted at the trough, and continue killing each other mercilessly to get there. Premiers and provincial chairpersons are in high contestation mode and want to be re-elected, or to register their influence ahead of the make or break December elective conference.

It’s blood all over the floor.

The governing party has moulded and wrapped its internal turmoil with the loudly repeated calls for unity and renewal. It is a recitation they preach and sing out loud in front of cameras while the infighting foments. And Mbeki is quite aware of the danger that this ever growing problem poses to the country and its citizens.

Fitting to the occasion on Saturday in Bloemfontein, Mbeki lashed at “opportunists and careerists” in the party, accusing them of selfishly pursuing their own interests to the detriment of governance and the country.

As he re-arranged his papers on the podium, he called on the ANC to sort itself out and resolve its issues. In the same breath, Mbeki remarked that the ANC was “too big to fail”. It was at this point that the former president delved into a rhetoric favoured by his fellow comrades – that of treating South Africans as a clueless bunch when it comes to what is good for the country.

Also Read: Mbeki slams ANC leaders campaigning for leadership positions, instead of dealing with SA’s challenges

“If the ANC collapsed today, ceased to exist, this country would become ungovernable simply because of the reach and influence of the ANC…it is too big to fail,” Mbeki told party members.

South Africans are patronised by the ANC at every turn. They are forced to visualise a doomed and gloomy country should the ANC no longer be in charge of the levers of power. No one can save you except the ANC, we are told.

But that sentiment no longer holds. Voters have kept the ANC majority out at metropolitan councils from 2016, and it has been a downhill ever since, but its leaders keep beating the same drum. 

One question remains – what will the ANC do upon losing power?