The African National Congress (ANC) – Africa’s oldest liberation movement – is celebrating 113 years of existence this weekend. This year’s January 8 Statement rally will be held at Nelson Mandela Park at Khayelitsha in Cape Town on Saturday.
The ANC has been the governing party since the first democratic elections in 1994, marking the country’s political liberation from apartheid. However, in last year’s general elections, it failed to win an outright majority in parliament – giving rise to the formation of a government of national unity.
ANC NEC Member Lindiwe Zulu:
Ill-discipline
ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula has announced that the party will adopt a firm approach to addressing ill-discipline among its members. He commented during a media briefing in Khayelitsha, at the venue that will host the party’s annual January 8th Statement. The stadium has a capacity of 22 000 people
Mbalula says the party is confident that it will be filled to capacity. However, party members like Tony Yengeni have been criticising the venue – saying it is a sign that there is no expectation for a large crowd.
Mbabula says this kind of behaviour will no longer be tolerated.
“Tony Yengeni is nothing but a political casanova. He will be charged, I have informed him. Discipline in ANC is important. I have seen others when they have had something at 2 am tweeting the leadership of ANC, bringing the party into disrepute. They too will be attended to very soon.”
Political analyst and historian Dr Zakhele Shamase of the University of Zululand believes unfulfilled promises and the non-implementation of congress resolutions caused the party’s decline.
He says factionalism and breakaway parties also took their toll. “What has led to the decline of the ANC is the corruption and failure to deliver, budget is there but the budget is not used maximally to the benefit of the services that they are meant for, and also nepotism, these are things that have annoyed the people, the last straw is that of factionalism, that developed within the ANC itself, it widened beyond them, the breakaway parties in the ANC started with UDM, there came COPE, ATM, uMkhonto we Sizwe, it’s because of factionalism that is there in the ruling party and they have been arrogantly not attending to that using the majority support they have on the ground to ignore whatever happens.”
Political analyst Nkosikhulule Nyembezi also weighs in on the upcoming 8 January Statement:
