Factionalism within the ANC has prevented the party from protecting its citizens and the unrest that occurred must be laid at the party's door, writes Solly Msimanga.
Deep-rooted factionalism in the ANC has rendered the governing party a lame duck, throwing the country at the mercy of political thuggery and rampant criminality, as laid bare in the violent looting, rioting and arson that engulfed KwaZulu-Natal, and to a lesser extent Gauteng.
The lynchpin -- convicted criminal, constitutional delinquent, and ex-president Jacob Zuma had threatened instability. Spirited from Nkandla to a correctional facility at the 11th hour of a Constitutional Court deadline to begin serving imprisonment for contempt of court, he was never going to go without consequences.
The ANC had ample opportunity to remove this man from power during which he had enabled and perpetuated state capture, but it didn’t. It had an opportunity to speedily ensure his incarceration, but it didn’t.
Now, it’s clear for all to see that the deep factionalism in the ANC has exposed the state’s shortcomings. It has failed to govern this country honestly, effectively and efficiently or protect its people. And its economic policies are to blame for the soaring unemployment that has reached crisis levels.
Counting the cost
In the face of rampant corruption, looting of state coffers with impunity, blatant criminality and lawlessness, the ANC has left the country counting the cost of its paralysis.
It failed its citizens in their hour of need, and the violence and destruction earlier this month must be laid squarely at its door. Instead of being decisive and acting timeously, it decided to play politics by sending Police Minister Bheki Cele to negotiate with Zuma to hand himself over.
Zuma had threatened instability; his instigators just lit the fuse. And what unfolded in the aftermath shocked law-abiding citizens to the core. Untrained to quell the level of public violence that ensued and overwhelmed, the SAPS left citizens and communities in the lurch.
DA leader John Steenhuisen called on citizens and communities under attack to defend themselves when the state couldn’t. President Cyril Ramaphosa and his security services failed to read the situation correctly or act accordingly. We in the DA saw the writing on the wall.
The president labelled the violent unrest “an insurrection”, but his defence minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula contradicted him publicly, saying it was neither insurrection nor a failed coup. Acting Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni was later at pains to say the president’s pronouncements were based on factual evidence.
Meanwhile, Cele and State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo were at odds over intelligence that clearly was not forthcoming. Cele said he never received such a report. Dlodlo retorted that their intelligence provided reports to structures, not individuals. That’s quite telling!
But these crucial omissions put the security of law-abiding citizens at serious risk, with disastrous economic consequences. Already faltering after Zuma’s disastrous decade in power, graft, mismanagement and incompetency, the Covid-19 pandemic crippled the economy further.
Deepening crises on many fronts
The unrest has damaged infrastructure extensively, decimating businesses, especially SMEs and industries, with many jobs destroyed. We are facing deepening crises on many fronts. It’s time the ANC realised it’s business that creates jobs, not the government… Its job is to create an enabling environment which it has failed to do.
The country deserves to see all the instigators arrested, prosecuted and jailed. Our society is sitting on a powder keg, and we can’t afford any more of these incendiary sparks. Uncertain times call for strong leadership and swift action.
The time for self-serving ANC ideology is over, and the revolutionaries have by far eclipsed their shelf-life. We must defend our Constitution at all costs and rebuild an inclusive economy that prospers to give all South Africans hope for the future.
- Solly Msimanga is the DA Gauteng leader.
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