South Africa: rising tensions in the ANC during Youth Month

President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday 12 June appointed Mangwashi Phiyega as the country’s National Police Commissioner. He also announced a major reshuffle in his cabinet. It is evident that these decisions are primarily guided by Zuma’s desire to seek a second term as the president of the ANC, which will be decided by the party’s national conference being held on Mangaung in December this year.

In response to criticism of the appointment of Phiyega, who was chosen for this position instead of an experienced senior police officer, the Minister of Police stated that it didn’t take an IT specialist to sort out problems in a software company. However, the South African Police Service is nothing like a private company and police experience is crucial if correct management decisions are to be made. It is likely the appointment of the country’s new top cop, to replace the suspended former commissioner Bheki Cele, has more to do with political considerations on Zuma’s part, than anything else. Zuma’s primary concern is that the police chief is loyal to him.  To ensure this, he has appointed a person who is totally reliant on him for this position. 

This argument should also be cited in relation to the recent cabinet reshuffle that led to the demotion of Defense Minister, Lindiwe Sisulu to Minister of Public Affairs and Administration following the death of Roy Padayachie last month. The Correctional Services Minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, replaces Sisulu. Transport Minister, Sibusiso Ndebele, has now also been moved to Correctional Services is succeeded by Ben Martins. This reshuffle came as a surprise to many and is clearly not about improving efficiency in government service delivery, but about the ANC leadership battle.

For example, Lindiwe Sisulu is considered part of “nobility” in the ANC, given her family’s long connection with the party elite. Her father, Walter Sisulu was a highly respected co-founder of the ANC Youth League and Umkhonto weSizwe. She therefore enjoys a lot of support and loyalty within the ANC and could damage Zuma’s chances at re-election if she was to lobby for his removal. Clearly sensing that she may not be sufficiently loyal to him, Zuma moved her into a position that could be considered a poisoned chalice.  She will now be leading what will be a bruising battle with the unions during the upcoming public servants’ salary negotiations. It will be her name and face that will be considered by unionists who do not get their way and by members of the public who are disgruntled with pubic service delivery failures.

Meanwhile President Zuma was supposed to address a Youth Day rally on Saturday 16 June, but excused himself at the last minute to attend the G20 meeting in Mexico. The G20 meeting however only officially started on Monday, 18 June. This is the first time a President has missed a Youth Day address since 1994. In the weeks leading up to this significant national public holiday there were rumours that protests were being planned against Zuma. It has been reported that the President’s decision to skip the event was to avoid being embarrassed by possible heckling at the event. Interestingly, Zuma did not appoint competitor and current Deputy President Kgalema Mothlante to address the rally, thereby denying him a national public platform for his campaign to take over as ANC president. He is seen as a key contender to take over from Zuma and has recently criticised ANC discussion documents detailing the need for a ‘second transition.” Rather, the, Minister of Monitoring and Evaluation, Collins Shabane was sent to address the Youth Day rally which was interrupted by young people who were clearly supporters of former ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema.

On Friday, 15 June at a Youth Month conference in Limpopo, Malema made strong statements against Zuma in which he referred to the President as a dictator and tribalist. These latest statements by the controversial youth leader come after the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) decided not to review his expulsion by the party’s National Disciplinary Committee in April 2012.  The Limpopo event was organized by a lobby group, called the “Friends of the Youth League” consisting of a network of organisations and individuals who support Malema in his anti-Zuma movement in the country. The party’s General Secretary Gwede Mantashe criticised the “friends of the youth league” and slammed its members accusing them of undermining the ANC. 

The third contender for ANC president, Minister of Human Settlements Tokyo Sexwale meanwhile gave a lecture on former ANC Alfred Xuma in Alexandra, Johannesburg as part of the Youth Day commemoration ceremonies there.  He argued that the ANC needed to change and in a veiled reference to Zuma, warned of party leaders who “will be changed at Mangaung” if they don’t engage with the youth.

Official talks and campaigns within the ANC branches in the run-up to Mangaung only start in October. Nonetheless, there is record of extensive lobbying that is already taking place through public and secret meetings. There has also been growing tension in the NEC such as the incident whereby senior leaders Tony Yengeni and Blade Ndzimane clashed and hurled expletives at each other, as reported in Sunday Newspapers this weekend.

The state of the ANC is reflected in the recently released policy documents, which don’t inspire confidence in the ANC as a unified party that has the backing of a majority of its member. Rather, too much space is devoted to the failures of the current leadership, claiming that this is the fault of external  ‘enemies.’ This situation does not build confidence in the ANC as evidenced by the increasing number of public service protests. Between January and May 2012, there were on average five protests every two days across South Africa.

Based on the contribution of Mr Gareth Newham and Dr Johan Burger from the Crime and Justice Division,  ISS Pretoria