Is the centre holding in South Africa? This week we have seen a halting start to the government's mass vaccination programme. It commenced against the backdrop of stage 2 load shedding and former President Zuma’s appearance at his own corruption trial. For more on that never-ending saga see:
Accused Number One: Zuma’s day in court arrives … but don’t hold your breath
Load shedding and Zuma’s corruption trial are timely reminders of state capture and why we are struggling to do the most basic of things, specifically as regards delivery of services to the most vulnerable.
The ANC is struggling to hold its centre together as irreconcilable factions slug it out for power. It is unattractive and venal in many ways.
The latest version that is the soap opera of ANC politics played itself out in the debate about ‘stepping aside’ – whether the resolution that ANC members should step aside if they are facing criminal charges or not, should be implemented and how? In the eye of the storm is the secretary-general Ace Magashule, facing charges of fraud and corruption. Politics is no stranger to irony and it eventually fell to deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte to issue Magashule with a suspension letter.
After what can only be described as a media circus, Magashule in turn suspended President Ramaphosa. Since then, however, some degree of calm has returned to the political landscape. It is a sign that we have become so used to the ANC’s dysfunction, that we all went to bed none the wiser – but not particularly perturbed – about whether the President of the country was suspended from his party or not.
The chutzpah of Magashule was not surprising. He and his merry band of supporters are used to behaving in unaccountable ways, after all.
They will fight to the bitter end, even as they are weakened.
Magashule has now turned to the courts regarding his suspension, as Stephen Grootes, Pierre De Vos and Branko Brkic explain:
- ANALYSIS: Not apologising and out of immediate political options, Ace places his fate in hands of judiciary
- OPINIONISTA: Ace would appear to have a losing hand in his court battle with the ANC
- DM168 REFLECTION: It is cold outside the ANC, and Ace knows it
The narrative surrounding Magashule and Ramaphosa has always been decidedly unhelpful. Like a boxing match, since NASREC, it has had several rounds. Each day, the win is tallied; today it may be Ramaphosa, tomorrow it may be Magashule. Depending on the given week, a newspaper may declare Magashule as a possible future President, sending a brief shiver down the spine. Or, Ramaphosa may be strengthening his position, who knows, consolidating it even?
Whatever the individual fortunes of these two men and their respective factions, the ANC in government remains decidedly distracted by this internal party division. All around us we see the effects of it in the overall neglect, mediocrity and Presidential indecision.
Somehow, we have to keep the economy afloat, somehow we have to develop the capability to vaccinate millions of people and somehow we have to ensure that a full-blown public service strike is averted.
As always, though, South Africa is a mad mix of the good and the bad. As we feel the real effects of state capture through stage two load shedding, we hold the heartwarming image of ‘The Arch’, Archbishop Tutu and his wife, Leah receiving their Covid-19 vaccination this week and we understand that hope is on the way – even if slowly.
Educationalist and critic, Tony Morphet passed away on 2 May. In a world where the word ‘intellectual’ is bandied around with too much ease, John Higgins’s incisive tribute to Morphet demonstrates with great clarity the role Morphet played as both activist and intellectual.
As his partner, the poet Ingrid De Kok said at his moving memorial service last week, quoting David Bunn, Morphet had ‘another way of looking’, always ‘suspicious of the big picture, of teleology and prophecies.’ They are thoughtful words in remembrance of an influential life.
Tags: ANC NEC meeting, South Africa
