Share

When graves become battlegrounds

The fight for political survival in South Africa has now seemingly been taken to the grave – literally. As the ANC’s war with itself intensifies, funerals and commemorations of the lives of struggle icons have become the new battlegrounds and ordinary South Africans the unfortunate casualties.

ANC stalwart Ahmed Kathrada’s death is a case in point. Everybody knew where he stood on the issue of ANC leadership, President Jacob Zuma’s in particular.

So when former deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe read Kathrada’s (still unanswered) letter to Zuma at Kathrada’s funeral, a document in which the struggle stalwart bemoaned the state of the ANC under Zuma’s leadership and asked him to step down outright, the gloves were off. And it has not been a clean fight.

Kathrada’s funeral and memorial services were used as platforms to relay the struggle icon’s message as loudly and in as hard-hitting a fashion as possible. Zuma must go – for the sake of SA, for the sake of the ANC and its fate at the polls in 2019.

Zuma retorted with a midnight Cabinet reshuffle, axing five ministers who happened not to be among his allies of yea-sayers.

The backlash of this move has been the clearest indication to date that the centre is not holding in the ANC. There is blood on the floor. Following the reshuffle, two rating agencies downgraded SA’s debt – the impact of which is a new point of contention between the Zuma-aligned faction and those aligned to the thinking of former finance minister Pravin Gordhan.

Downgrades will have a devastating impact South Africans can ill afford, but something far more dangerous is emerging, as was seen at the recent Kathrada memorial in Durban. Any healthy democracy ensures that there is room for dissent, but when there is a clamp-down on dissenters as political intolerance grows, we are in for a bumpy ride.

So the collateral damage the nation could suffer due to the ANC’s internal war could be massive and its impact could be felt far beyond 2019. Signs of this surfaced when ANC Youth League (ANCYL) supporters disrupted the Kathrada memorial service to make a clear political point – Jacob Zuma is going nowhere and dissent will not to be tolerated. 

In the wake of a planned DA march to ANC headquarters, Luthuli House, the ANCYL and military veterans vowed to sjambok anyone marching to Luthuli House.

Since then reports have surfaced that death threats have been made against DA leader Mmusi Maimane and those within the ANC who dare to speak up against the ruling party’s leadership. Minister of human settlements Lindiwe Sisulu and ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu were reportedly among those threatened.

Not long ago it was an EFF MP who made a seemingly sweeping statement in a parliamentary portfolio committee meeting involving the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). On 30 March EFF MP Sam Matiase told commissioners of the SAHRC to start engaging with the reality that threats to power will not necessarily be peaceful.

“As ruling elites realise their hold on power is under threat, they start to do unsavoury things and resort to all types of human rights violations,” Matiase said. “The SAHRC must gear itself towards that reality. A new set of challenges are emerging as a result of elites realising they stand to lose so much as their hold on power is threatened, and you need to position yourself to combat such intentions of elites.” 

History is on Matiase’s side of the argument. In a number of countries on the continent it has become the norm for leaders to not just give up power without a fight. Think Zimbabwe, Gabon, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo and more recently the Gambia.

The prominent writer Zakes Mda made similar statements late last year, warning of a “bloodbath” should the ANC lose the election in 2019. He maintains Zuma is will not relinquish power easily. Too much is at stake and this very grip on power is arguably what is keeping Zuma out of jail right now.

Power generally equates to access to resources and SA with its captured state is no exception. Even members of the ruling party have admitted to this.

ANC MP Makhosi Khoza was among those within the ANC who called it by its name recently – the politics of patronage – when she took to social media to express her concerns over the state of the ANC. “The politics of patronage has finally claimed the sanity of my ANC leaders. A triumphant story has turned tragic in my lifetime,” she wrote.

Indeed.

The ANC’s and SA’s triumphant story is at a crossroads. What happens now as ordinary citizens leave the comforting bubble of apathy and literally take to the streets peacefully will be the ultimate test for our young democracy. How much will the Zuma-aligned faction in the ANC tolerate this challenge to power, and will the fruits of our hard-won democracy end up where this wave of political awakening recently started – at the grave? 

Alicestine October is a parliamentary reporter for Netwerk24.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.2%
Platinum
910.50
+1.5%
Palladium
1,011.50
+1.0%
Gold
2,221.35
+1.2%
Silver
24.87
+0.9%
Brent-ruolie
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders