Threat to ANC is now real: MK most likely to benefit from members of the ruling party

The high cost of basking in the arrogance of being the biggest and oldest political party in Africa, is the creation of an opposition built from within your own organisation. 

The man who proclaimed the ANC will rule until Jesus Christ returns, is seemingly seeing his imminent return and decided to arrest him, because the ANC has no plan to keep him in prison. 

The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party was not formed yesterday as many believe. It was formed at least more than four years ago. In fact, one can even venture into thinking it might have much to do with the Gupta era. 

The so-called MK Military Veterans Association that camped at Jacob Zuma’s residence in Nkandla, cannot be said to be innocent, by any stretch of the imagination.

As this was happening, Zuma was not just an ordinary ANC member, but its president. As ordinary citizens questioned the motives of those periodic Nkandla gatherings, the ANC simply looked the other way.

Those gatherings could be said to be the culmination of what is known as the July unrest that engulfed the country.

We are yet to hear about the fate of “known instigators”.

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The ANC could not rein Zuma in because it regards power and numbers as more important than discipline and keeping the country safe and in order.

KwaZulu-Natal has always been very important province to it because it attached more value to its numbers and, therefore power, than anything else.

If it meant not disciplining Zandile Gumede or Mike Mabuyakhulu would assure it of retention of the province, the ANC would rather not apply the rules in its selfish interest of power.

Disciplining members in the ANC has always been dependent on the influence the accused member has over its members, and by extension, that province.

There is no doubt Zuma’s incarceration was not in the interest of the ANC, although it publicly said it was in the interest of justice, the very justice the ANC took an oath of office to uphold but doesn’t anyway.

The subsequent medical parole was a breath of fresh air for the ANC. However, that was short-lived in that upon the Constitutional Court judgment, his medical parole was declared unlawful, and he had to return to prison to complete his sentence.

The announcement by Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola of wide scale remission, could reasonably be seen as a grand plan to keep Zuma out of prison.

That too was stillborn because Zuma had his plan well worked out already. He had been planning to form his breakaway party for a long time.

The ANC has no moral authority to absolve itself from the formation of the MK party. It is a direct manifestation of its intransigence and lack of seriousness when it comes to governing. 

The ANC might have thought, as it usually does, that its internal squabbles have nothing to do with SA. In doing so, it probably thinks the country belongs to it. Unfortunately, we are all, as a country, affected by its negligence. Any attempt from the ANC to seek sympathy from citizens must be rejected with the contempt it deserves. 

I had earlier written that the ANC would be forced to negotiate with Zuma, and I also believe he would use his power to negotiate with the ANC on his own terms. All that seems to be in the very distant future now. The threat of displacing the ANC is now very real and the ANC is now panicking. 

Again, power does give those who have it a sense of arrogance, and Zuma is no exception. He most probably passed the idea of even having any dialogue with his former party, unless it is on his own terms, and his terms only. 

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While the ANC has run out of serious options in the way of forming new alliances, the MK party seems to be benefitting from the ruling party itself, particularly from those who are either facing corruption charges or have been discredited by the ANC disciplinary machinery.

In the era of high levels of gullibility and ignorance, the MK party will most likely benefit from the ANC members and sup- porters, especially those who failed to catch the tenderpreneur train.

If the ANC had put integrity, morality, uprightness and discipline before anything else, it most probably would be in a better position today. Maybe it would not be a big church, but a reasonably solid one with quality members and leaders.

It would, in its campaigns, not be justifying why it is taking so long to deal with its internal, and by extension, corruption in the public service. It would leave that to its opponents while it gives the electorate reports on what and how it successfully served them and the country.

Presently, even the Tintswalo narrative is as cold as ice.

Monama is an independent commentator and a former Azapo leader