Picture - Citizen Stock
The ANC’s provincial executive committee (PEC) Lekgotla in KwaZulu-Natal failed dismally to hold its structures to account for the 2021 July riots that brought the province to its knees, during a pandemic.
Last year’s civil unrest that took place in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng, between 9 to 18 July 2021, was sparked by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma for contempt of court.
But, its PEC Lekgotla on Sunday – which included the party’s alliance partners, the leagues, and national deployees in government – fell spectacularly short of confronting the root cause of the riots that killed more than 340 people and cost the South African economy some R50 billion.
Instead, ANC provincial chairperson Sihle Zikalala only touched on the subject of the riots as a by-product of South Africa’s grim economic outlook.
“The South African economy contracted in the third quarter of 2021. In December 2021, STATS SA reported that the SA’s GDP fell by 1.5%. The fall was largely due to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and the July civil unrest,” said Zikalala, who is also the KZN Premier.
“Maize, citrus and sugarcane farms recorded losses from fires set during the July riots.
“Wholesale, retail and motor trade were negatively affected by the widespread looting and destruction that engulfed KZN and GP,” he said.
In addressing the party’s declining support base, Zikalala acknowledged that its supporters were angry by the looting pandemic within the government, corruption, increased levels of crime and a shocking lack of service delivery.
“The reality is that over the past few years our movement has recorded a steady decline of its political fortunes because of a number of factors, chief among others the social distance that has grown between our movement and our people,” he said.
Zikalala told delegates that the party had failed to make an impact on the “strategic objectives of the National Democratic Revolution in favour of blacks in general, and Africans in particular.”
“In essence, we must understand that since 1994 South Africa has been overwhelmed by an immersed liberal agenda which today finds expression through a number of foundations, NGOs and civil society movements which are only accountable to themselves,” said Zikalala.
Zikalala then went on to take a swipe at civil organisations that have challenged party decisions in court.
“These organs and institutions have formed themselves as extra-parliamentary bodies who vet government decisions, and they have amassed power to challenge such decisions.”
“In the recent period, we have witnessed a serious regression on transformative policies we adopted since 1994.
“The court ruling on the BEE in the mining sector, the reversal of the April 01-2017 Treasury regulation on procurement, the failure to pass an Expropriation Bill, together with the failure to amend the public procurement bill has seriously eroded many advances of the transformation agenda and render both the ANC and its government as toothless or accepting the economic imbalance of the old order,” said Zikalala.
Zikalala called for the members to “go back to the drawing board” to brainstorm how the damaged party can remain a dominant force of society.
“The ANC does not only face an onslaught of attacks from opposition parties, but it is being pummelled from all corners including by civil society organisations which profess to be neutral but, in essence, they are driving the agenda of weakening the ANC,” he said.
Zikalala also touched on its recent tit-for-tat rumblings with the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), saying its political shortfalls have led to the resurgence of the IFP which was “on its political deathbed”.
Zikalala said the IFP had brought back tribalism as a political tool and was exploiting the Zulu nationalism ticket.
He also touched on the warring parties ongoing conflict over the Zulu royal family.
“We will continue to support all our traditional leaders and the Zulu royal family not because we seek to advance any narrow political agenda but because we sincerely recognise the importance of ubukhosi.”
National Executive Committee member Lindiwe Sisulu was seen crisscrossing the province recently.
Apart from attending Sunday’s lekgotla, she had attended a Shembe Church service in Ozwathini near Ndwedwe last month.
Sisulu has thrown her hat in the ring to be the ANC’s next president. The Shembe Nazareth Baptist church has over a million members and is regarded as a launchpad in the province for the ANC leaders who want to ascend to a higher officer.
Additional reporting by Getrude Makhafola
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