Can we trust this ANC to lead SA?

The inexorable slide into the current confused contortions at the very heart of the ANC could not have been more graphically illustrated than the shambolic internal national executive council elections.

The sour taste of the dramas surrounding the court cases which exorcised the rights of some delegates from KwaZulu-Natal and Free State, unscheduled holdups causing near-disastrous delays, 68 votes seemingly missing from the lists and the undoubted behind-the scenes deals which were sealed.

This, before the circus was finally allowed to pack up and leave town, are certain to linger into the run-up to the next general elections.

But, in truth, the writing loomed large on the wall during the disordered and disinterested manner in which the media accreditation was handled, turning what should have been a simple process into an unseemly scramble for seats. Subsequent events proved this augury to be an accurate assessment.

But in the analysis of the final outcome of the voting process proper, any number of things have become self-evident, not least of all the potholed route newly-elected ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has been tasked to travel between now and the 2019 polls.

He heads a divided top six with only a single female in Jacob Zuma apologist deputy secretary-general Jesse Duarte, and a ruling panel split down the middle which clearly mirrors the factionalism which has consistently dogged any image of a united ANC monolith.

Ramaphosa faces many as yet to be revealed challenges parallel to those he already knows full well will rise up to meet him.

One small ray of hope shone through in the wake of his election victory as our battered currency immediately strengthened. But behind this followed the question.

If the ruling party cannot govern itself, can we expect it to govern the country?

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