A thorn in the ANC’s flesh
FOR the first time since 1994, elections in South Africa are likely to see the beleaguered governing party lose its majority. Come 2024, after 30 years of disappointing the electorate, the ANC faces the real threat of voter retribution. One of its greatest fears is looming large: losing to the IFP.
The resurgence of the IFP in the past few years as disillusioned voters turn to a leadership of integrity and strong moral values, is a source of tremendous distress to the ANC. The option of restoring public trust is not viable, for every day brings new scandal, new evidence of corruption and arrogant disregard for the rule of law.
Faced with the impossibility of covering up the growing mountain of defects in a party that has entirely lost its former glory, today’s leadership of the ANC knows only the politics of attack, ignore and deny.
While it makes for sensational headlines, the ANC’s approach is alienating support from citizens who deserve far better. No wonder the resounding cry in our country is for political change.
Nowhere in South Africa is the possibility of change more pronounced than in KwaZulu-Natal. Here is a province where the IFP has shown what it can do in government. For 10 years the electorate gave the mandate to govern to the IFP.
Under the leadership of its founder, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, the IFP laid a foundation for economic growth, employment and education in the newly democratic KwaZulu-Natal.
Then the ANC took over, and the rot set in. Schools and training colleges were closed. Development projects were shut down or given over to the enrichment of the connected. Tender fraud, maladministration, cadre deployment and the abdication of responsibility became the order of the day.
It is not surprising in the least that the tide of ANC support began to turn. With the last local government election, voters spoke with a powerful voice, asking the IFP to become a watchdog against the governing party’s intemperance. And the ANC has felt the heat of the IFP as the Official Opposition in KwaZulu-Natal.
As their problems increase, including intra-party violence, factionalism and indiscipline, the ANC is desperate to keep the IFP out of power in KwaZulu-Natal. One of the biggest problems they have is the enduring respect and affection of the people of this province for the man who gave his entire life to serving with integrity.
The thorn in the flesh of the ANC in KZN remains Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi. The popularity of uMntwana waKwaPhindangene has only grown in the past few years, as he skilfully navigated the way for a peaceful enthronement of His Majesty King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, after the passing of the late king and the late regent. The Zulu nation, and the entire country, witnessed the dignity and self-sacrifice of Prince Buthelezi, and gave thanks.
In a province where government is failing to protect and meet the needs of our people, Prince Buthelezi, even at this great age (94), is at the forefront of serving. Thus the KZN ANC is hell-bent on driving a wedge between the Zulu nation and its champion, between the king and his traditional prime minister, and between the IFP founder and the electorate.
One of the zealots of this cause is the KZN ANC’s provincial secretary, Bheki Mtolo, who feels so threatened by Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s support that he came up with the idea of trying to “reunite” Prince Buthelezi with the ANC. He claimed that the IFP founder wanted to join the ANC and announced that the KZN ANC had decided to assign people to “have a dialogue” with Prince Buthelezi.
That lie was quickly laid to rest, shifting Mtolo’s focus to attacking Prince Buthelezi at every turn. His latest tirade was published this week as an open letter in the Daily News, The Star and Cape Argus.
Interestingly, he meticulously and painstakingly avoids naming Prince Buthelezi as his subject, as though he is too afraid to even say his name! The contents of his tirade are too absurd to answer, and too empty of substance to warrant a response. He dwells largely on his fear of Prince Buthelezi’s anger, believing uMntwana will care that his name is once again being unjustly besmirched for political gain.
Mtolo’s attack, however, is not truly against Prince Buthelezi. It is against the IFP, because Mtolo knows that the IFP is trouncing the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, and he thinks that hurting the IFP’s founder will hurt the IFP.
It is interesting that the president of the ANC is throwing the problem to the problem-makers, instructing them to resolve it. Surely he must know that the KZN ANC is absolutely averse to taking instruction, even from its national leadership. In fact, they have gone so far in the opposite direction, in maliciously defying instruction, that they have resurrected the one obstacle on which reconciliation talks have always stumbled.
How ironic that an ANC that has changed so dramatically from the liberation organisation of our past continues to use the same dirty tricks, and has the same knee-jerk reaction to political competition. Once again the IFP poses a threat to the ANC’s vice-grip on power. So once again they attack the IFP’s greatest asset: the legacy of integrity built by our founder.
As necessary as reconciliation may be to peace and a strong democracy, the ANC is willing to pour salt in the wounds of the past if it might get them one more vote. But the tide has turned. They would do well to read the signs of our people’s demand for a shift towards truth.
Ultimately, attacking Prince Buthelezi is as pointless, irrational and distasteful as attacking Madiba. It won’t change support for their parties. It just exposes desperation.