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A clearly debilitated ANC is limping along to 16 December, hoping for a miracle cure; something that would heal the suppurating sores on it’s mangy coat and save it from decaying into oblivion.
It’s astonishing to think that this enfeebled, stinking thing with its tail wedged firmly between its legs, was once king of its jungle. The plummet from the sublime to the bottom of the latrine pit in a relatively short period of time, seems almost unnatural. Yet, if the ANC cadres allowed themselves to be distracted from the frenzied looting of state resources, the pointless dashing about in their blue light brigades and shamelessly serving the Guptas, they may find that the fall from grace was not so much an accidental stumble, as a suicidal leap with eyes wide open. Because it should be obvious to anyone of reasonable intelligence - and this may be the problem - that the path to the abyss could have been avoided. And it’s not as if there haven’t been ample opportunities to turn back to the road forged by their last great leader, Nelson Mandela.
A consequence of the deviation is that the iconic Mandela has been lost to the ANC, has in fact transcended the ANC. Mandela’s integrity, universal values and principles are so far beyond the ANC pale of corruption, arrogance and utter disregard for the people they are meant to serve, that he has been appropriated by opposition parties as representative of their values. The latest being Ms Khoza, who was hounded out of the ANC for espousing the very values of Madiba.
There is always an exception, of course; in this case, the EFF. Their Clown-in-Chief prefers to champion his idol, Robert Mugabe, the tyrant recently booted out of power after thirty seven years of misrule. Malema’s call for the dictator to be granted asylum in South Africa, despite the obvious joy at his ousting by an overwhelming majority of long suffering Zimbabweans, at home and the diaspora, was the source of bemusement to the enlightened and (what should be concerning for the clown suits), expressions of disappointment and disgust on social media among EFF supporters. Malema’s poor judgment of character is legendary, of course – we should prepare ourselves for another pathetic apology.
But Mr. Malema’s poorly considered wish only serves to remind the public of the paucity of good leadership in the ANC since the halcyon days of the great Nelson Mandela. Malema is after all, an ANC reject.
Perhaps as silly as lauding a universally despised despot, is the prayer among ANC believers that the party will ‘self correct.’ But how? If there’s to be a divine spark there must also be an agent. But who? The Creator may work in mysterious ways but rewarding the immoral is not one of them.
If it’s Cyril Ramaphosa the ANC faithful believe to be its saviour, they’re wilfully ignoring the fact that this man played no small part in the Massacre at Marikana. This is also the man who instead of intervening, stood aside to allow zuma, the Guptas and their ANC servants to plunder state resources that should have been allocated to developments for uplifting the poor. This is also the coward who failed to oust the constitution flouting zuma when given opportunity during the recent ‘No Confidence’ vote in parliament. Not at all the behaviour of a knight in shining armour.
If it’s Madam Nkosasana Dlamini-zuma who is regarded as saviour, it suggests that the dying ANC is being sustained by some seriously deluded people.
But it’s unlikely that so many people can be so dim. Given Dlamini-zuma’s lack of charisma, repetitive and uninspiring rhetoric of RET and WMC it’s more likely that she’s simply a figurehead for the venal zuma cabal; a useful fool that will entrench the status quo – ensuring further depredations on the state, regardless of the consequences for all outside their greedy circle. And if the recent reports of preparations for a state of emergency are true, the faction supporting Dlamini-zuma clearly believes the public is turning against them and are determined to hold on to the cookie jar, even it means ditching the democratic principles the party claims it’s founded on and falling back on the draconian measures of the liberationist parties before them.
The dilemma facing the ANC is, how does one save something that has lost its soul? The behaviour of ANC members leading up to this last waltz conference, has been abominable: flagrant fraud resulting in brANChes beseeching the courts for help (the same courts they criticise on any other day for meddling in politics); assaulting one another with chairs in the Eastern Cape; murdering one another in KZN.
If only they could keep their madness to themselves. But unfortunately, we are all vulnerable to their relentless assault on South Africa. The most recent, damning example being the Esidimeni tragedy. This sad, sad story of one hundred and forty three helpless people dying as a result of the ANC’s criminal neglect, symbolises the contempt the party holds for the people of South Africa. It’s not as if they weren’t warned that what they were embarking on would end in disaster. One day we’ll find out just why they were so adamant about putting people’s lives at risk.
ANC atrocities are now starting to stack up against those of the apartheid era and because the party’s instinctive reaction is to protect and support, rather than purge those responsible, it’s highly probable the ANC tally will rise, if we allow them to stay in office.
‘Self correction’ for the ANC will require a stripping and realignment of the party’s dna sequence. With members prepared to cheat and kill to get their snouts into the trough that seems unlikely. Self immolation would be better; if anything good survives, it may rise from the ashes.
