ANC power struggle good for our democracy

There is no reason to believe that ANC members do not understand what is good for South Africa

By Madibeng Kgwete: posted on 20 November 2007

Just last week, The Star newspaper reported that Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said she would accept nomination as ANC president at the party’s December conference in Turfloop, about 30km north-east of Polokwane.

According to the Sowetan of Tuesday, 20 November 2007, former First Lady and erstwhile ANC Women’s League President Winnie Madikizela-Madela would also “not say not” if nominated to one of the positions in the ANC’s top six positions.

It is also public knowledge that other individuals such as ANC National Chairperson Mosioa Lekota, Secretary-General Kgalema Motlanthe, businessman Tokyo Sexwale and NEC member and state deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka are eying President Thabo Mbeki’s shoes.

Over and above all these names, the one potential candidate generally favoured by South Africans of all races and classes is businessman Cyril Ramaphosa, the former unionist who earned a name for himself by the central role he played in crafting South Africa’s widely-celebrated constitution.

In analysing the ANC’s internal jostling for power and positions, the media has constantly been one-sided, only reflecting the divisive nature of the ruling party’s succession battle.

There is very little commentary on the fact that, for the first time in a long time, the ANC is going to a national conference without having resolved the leadership issue behind closed doors. This may sound like a stalemate, but it is actually good for democracy. After all, South Africa is not a monarchy, where leaders inherit positions regardless of what people think about them.

The current leadership competition in the ANC may not be reflective of what we are told are “party traditions and cultures,” but it is good. Instead of holding our breaths in anticipation of the outcomes of next month’s ANC conference, we must be celebrating the competitive nature of the battle.

I may not be an ANC member, but I have no reason to believe that ANC members do not understand what is good for South Africa. After all, ANC members are South Africans too. If they elect a weak leadership collective that will bring South Africa to its knees, they too will feel the pinch.

So, let us stop worrying about Mbeki’s so-called third-term ambitions, Zuma’s and Sexwale’s campaign for leadership. Let’s sit back and enjoy the competition.