Nkandla is a litmus test for the ANC

Nkandla is a litmus test for the ANC as to whether it can walk the talk in dealing with ill-discipline within its ranks – but so far there is nothing to show its intolerance of unbecoming behaviour among its members.

To me, the temporary suspension of Carl Niehaus, uMkhonto we Sizwe Military Veterans’ Association spokesperson, by the national executive committee is window-dressing, similar to that of Niehaus’ friend and mentor, Ace Magashule.

We will only believe it when the charges had been formulated and delivered to him and others who may be charged. Nkandla, where Zuma supporters converged to physically display their solidarity with their hero, showed the ANC talks more than it acts.

The party is pursuing unity with people who are not interested in it. Zuma fans printed T-shirts and banners with his face – a clear demonstration that they still regard Zuma as their leader and despise Cyril Ramaphosa. Jessie Duarte said they are concerned about ill-discipline in the ANC but, in reality, they have lost control.

The ANC code of conduct is not worth the paper is it written.There is no hope they will act against former uMkhonto we Sizwe members whom brandished guns and fired shots in the air, putting the lives of everybody who gathered there at risk.

This is the same small crowd that refused a party order to disband and unite with their rival MK members. Instead, Niehaus continued to speak on behalf of an organisation that was supposed to be disbanded.

That Duarte’s office and the provincial secretaries would investigate and act in terms of the disciplinary code, sounded too familiar: it was said before.

The country witnessed suspended secretary-general Magashule defying the party openly – refusing to apologise for his unlawful actions and continuing to flout his suspension conditions with impunity.

As if this was not enough, he stood on a platform alongside Zuma in Nkandla calling on ANC branches to defy an order to disband them by the current leadership. If this is not blatant disregarding rules and undermining the leadership, what else is?

The ANC is taking the issue of unity too far and at the expense of its own public image. It fails to realise that, in politics, public perception counts for something and ill-discipline among its ranks would cost it terribly in future.

Over the last more than 20 years, we had seen infighting and ill-discipline inflicting damage on political parties as they lost not only members, but also votes. The first post-1994 casualty was the Pan Africanist Congress, whose political fortunes gradually diminished due to ongoing infighting, shaming the ideal of a united Africa that its founder Robert Sobukwe espoused.

Similarly, the Azanian People’s Organisation (Azapo) was almost depleted by infighting that saw it losing its single seat in parliament.

Voters hate infighting in political parties and withhold their votes – and some even run away.

The ANC is lucky because people would rather boycott an election than punish the party by voting for another. But this would not continue perpetually unless the party shows it is serious about dealing with ill-discipline and corruption.