Cape Town - In a speech delivered with yet another promise of the ANC’s renewal, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s January 8 statement has received mixed reaction from South Africans and political commentators alike.
The party celebrated its 113th anniversary at the Mandela Park Stadium in Khayelitsha at the weekend.
Once again, the tensions between the SACP and the ANC, in spite of attempts to downplay them, showed up during SACP deputy national chairperson, Thulas Nxesi’s address.
Nxesi was jeered and booed after he used the ANC birthday celebrations to reiterate that the decision by the SACP to contest elections was made by its entire leadership, and not merely by its general secretary, Solly Mapaila.
ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe was forced to intervene when the jeers became too loud for Nxesi (who was standing in for Mapaila who was away in Venezuela), who said the party recognised the ANC’s leadership in achieving social progress in education, water, electrification and gender equity.
Cosatu president, Zingiswa Losi, reacting to Ramaphosa’s delivery, welcomed the six priorities outlined in his speech.
“We are happy that his first priority is around the renewal of the ANC, while also holding deployees accountable... When you are talking about renewal, you must remember and be able to go back to the reasons of your existence and when the ANC is able to understand the reasons of its existence since 1912, it will be able to say, ‘how did we lose the 60% margin in the elections’,” she said.
Political analyst, Professor Sipho Seepe, said the ANC’s renewal cannot happen until the party deals with the Phala Phala farm scandal where millions in American currency were stolen from the President’s farm.
“Renewal starts with a leadership that is beyond reproach. It starts with dealing forthrightly with Phala Phala.
No amount of cover-up will get rid of the stench coming out of Phala Phala. Had Arthur Fraser not blown the whistle, Ramaphosa could go on pretending that he is an embodiment of political morality.
“Not anymore. Fortunately, the voters have sent a clear message. They would not be lied to anymore,” Seepe said.
On the issue of economic transformation, Seepe said it would be difficult for the ANC to effect an economic transformation under the current set up of the GNU.
“With an outright majority, the ANC failed dismally to disrupt the apartheid economic infrastructure.
Saddled with parties such as the DA, it is unlikely to achieve what it has failed to do in the last 30 years,” he said.