File image: President Cyril Ramaphosa assess the Western Cape Covid-19 response, along side Western Cape Premier Allan Winde
The DA’s Western Cape government has played down the reports of an “ANC Covid-19 coup”, but political analysts have said it was in the nature of politics to use any crisis to further organisational gains.
According to the Sunday Times, government has insisted that the surprise deployment of top ministers in the DA-run province was meant to boost the battle against Covid-19 in the province, where nearly two-thirds of SA’s coronavirus deaths have occurred.
DA insiders reportedly said the central government’s intervention smacked of a “coup”, with political scientist Dr Somadoda Fikeni saying it would be naïve to think the ANC would use the Covid-19 health crisis to its political advantage.
He, however, said it would be naïve to think that the national government’s intervention was not genuine but said the unfortunate part of SA was that everything was seen through partisan party politics.
“It should not matter whether it is ANC or DA. It should not really matter when we are faced with a deep crisis. But unfortunately, we are wired in a particular way as a country: never to see anything but party partisan politics,” Fikeni said.
He said close to local government elections next year, there was no way the ANC would not use Covid-19 to its advantage, saying similarly the DA has said that the Western Cape has done better in the Covid-19 fight than ANC-run provinces.
Political scientist and professor at the University of the North West André Duvenhage said he had no doubt the ANC would use Covid-19 to further its political and ideological goals.
“It is in the nature of politicians to use any situation to further its gains. The Covid-19 scenario also promotes bigger pattern in tender prominence. The Western Cape provincial government can expect statistics to be higher and being penalised for its success. I have no doubt that the ANC intentions are ulterior,” he said.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde has been diplomatic with the assertions of the contents of the Sunday Times report, saying: “Covid-19 is not a political issue and should never be treated as such.”
He said the Western Cape continued to work closely with national government and engaged with the government on all aspects of our approach. Winde said during his visit in Cape Town, President Cyril Ramaphosa expressed the same sentiment and “we hope that the deployment of national ministers is being done with the best interests of the people of the Western Cape at heart”.
“It is, however, important that there is a process of consultation. We look forward to consultations with our national government so that our plans are fully aligned to fight Covid-19 and flatten the curve together.”
– siphom@citizen.co.za
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