Johannesburg - “I am damned if I do, and I am damned if I don’t. They say if we don’t vote for him, he is going to deal with us. If he comes back, he will deal with us. We cannot have another five years of this tyranny in the ANC.”
These are just some of the sentiments expressed by some senior ANC members and voting delegates in what is clearly becoming a conference largely driven by fear mongering and underhanded tactics.
Earlier this week, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma stood up in front of the world and said: “As a disciplined member of the ANC, I vote yes”, as she showed her support for the adoption of the Section 89 report into the Phala Phala scandal which made damning findings against president Cyril Ramaphosa.
ANC announced that it would take disciplinary action against Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
However, this is not the first time that the Ramaphosa-aligned faction in the ANC is alleged to be engaging in the use of tyrannical and draconian tactics against its own senior members.
Leading up to the 55th elective conference of the ANC, others who have faced and felt the fear mongering tactics of the President include Ace Magashule, Bathabile Dlamini, recently Judge John Hlophe, Carl Niehaus, Zweli Mkhize, Busiswe Mkhwebane and most recently, Paul Mashatile, if the latest leaks are anything to go by.
The ANC finds itself without a secretary general due to the alleged fear mongering tactics of Ramaphosa’s cabal and supporters. What this has resulted in is a significant drop in electoral support as the party was in disarray leading up to the municipal elections of 2022.
Speaking to delegates and branch members on the ground at this year’s conference, it has become apparent that many are fed up with the fear mongering tactics and abuse of state resources by the Ramaphosa-aligned faction of the ANC.
What they have revealed is something quite astonishing: that Ramaphosa has no real support and that his current support base is superficial and based on fear which is unsustainable in a democratic organisation like the ANC.
“Judging from the information we have received from the various coordinators is that while there are some PEC leaders who are openly pledging for Ramaphosa, the actual information on the ground is that Zweli Mkhize is winning. The second sentiment is that it is widely accepted by many that Mkhize is the one to save the ANC from the current mess. Mkhize’s history and credentials are proper and how he conducts himself as a uniting, humble and non-vindictive person makes him an obvious choice in this scenario,” says a delegate.
Putting things into perspective, he highlighted that Ramaphosa has failed to get a foothold in KZN, where Mkhize has a very strong presence that can’t be penetrated even with large sums of money being thrown around.
“This makes Cyril look weak, and it shows that he is not as strong as how they have projected themselves. In Limpopo, he got the provincial structure to toe the line by using the VBS Mutual Bank scandal to threaten people. He (Cyril) did not even meet the delegates and the people and activists on the ground. Those in senior leadership who have publicly endorsed him have done so out of fear even in provincial structures such as Gauteng.”
Another senior delegate interjected, stating that they found that an instruction was given to pronounce on Cyril but that some of the provincial leaders stated that these were superficial announcements.
There are other similar modus operandi in areas such as the Northern Cape, where the BGM’s did not even sit, and people were told to “shut up” or else they would be dealt with.
“The Western Cape is the same story as the North West. Ramaphosa's people have threatened these structures with disbandment if they do not vote for him. This has resulted in a serious lack of trust between the PECs, activists and branches. However, these tactics won’t work because he does not have the ground forces who make up the real numbers.”
He added that Gauteng is behind Mkhize, who has been engaging structures on the ground and has now amassed the majority support.
The underlying sentiment, however, is that support for Ramaphosa is very shaky as he has lost ground and has no foothold in areas like Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and the West Rand. His support in the Free State is also highly superficial, where Mkhize has the support of most delegates.
Another delegate further explains: “Superficial support is at the centre of Ramaphosa’s campaign for a second term, and he is being played by his campaign team out of fear. Everyone has to be seen as if they are playing along. Delegates will not stand another five years of fear. Another five years of court cases and investigations just because you don’t support him politically.
“We have so many unanswered questions. No one was arrested for PPE corruption; no one knows what happened to the Solidarity Fund and the monies that were channelled through it. Effectively, the delegates are saying that they were afraid and could not show that they are not supporting him for fear of state resources being used against them. Delegates are now no longer afraid of the fear mongering, and they will show themselves once they have registered and will use their vote to get rid of 5 years of tyranny,” he says.
Ayanda Mdluli is the editor of the Daily News in KZN and is attending the 55th Elective Conference of the ANC in Nasrec
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