ANCWL must show its ‘true colours’ and readiness for renewal after Dlamini’s guilty verdict

Experts are unanimous in their view that ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) president Bathabile Dlamini’s political fate is sealed and the league would have no option but to ditch her following her conviction for perjury yesterday.

The guilty verdict pronounced by Johannesburg Magistrate Betty Khumalo against Dlamini was seen as a landmark ruling.

It was the first against a Cabinet minister – she was minister of social development at the time the offence was committed. At the same time, it’s the last nail in her political coffin, coming a week after being warned she and the league’s leadership must go because their term of office had expired. Dlamini was on Wednesday convicted of perjury after being accused of lying under oath.

Political analyst Professor Susan Booysen said: “Although the conviction is not on corruption, this case is quite a landmark because she occupies a high position in the ANC, as the women’s league president.

“This is a very serious matter that will require the ANC Women’s League to show its true colours in whether it wants to keep her in that position or it is serious about the ANC renewal.”

Another analyst, Professor Dirk Kotze, said her conviction would impact on her credibility.

“It’s a crime about her credibility, it’s a crime about her integrity and those things count on her image,” Kotze said. He said the conviction was a devastating blow for Dlamini, exacerbated by her being seen as close to former president Jacob Zuma – which made her a target.

Kotze said: “As all the leagues, particularly the ANC youth and the veteran’s leagues, are now aligning themselves with [President] Cyril Ramaphosa, it will be difficult for her to be re-elected. Her chances are slim.”

Booysen said besides the radical economic transformation group members, who regularly attended her court hearings, it would be interesting to see who else would still support Dlamini.

“The ANC wouldn’t want to keep her, though. But this casts a serious cloud over the ANC’s claim that it has the capacity to govern decently.

“This really is a challenge for the ANC Women’s League to show its true colours – that it is prepared to renew. It’s a setback for the league and its campaign towards the national conference.”

Kotze said under Dlamini’s leadership, the women’s league had not performed well. She had not played her role in any capacity because she was an “absent leader”.