The windy days of the silly seasons

This piece intends to take glance at the current turn of events in the movement and more specifically in the African National Congress (ANC) building up to its centenary conference. The paper intends to locate some of the current challenges of the movement and raise a dialogue on the approach on solving them.  The present-day occasions in the movement are extremely complex! As many would know the current disagreements in the ANC began some time ago in more decent manner but as the time passes, the situation is getting worse and some outside the movement have began harping.

For the organization like the ANC this is unavoidable situation, whether they like it or not we shall talk about disagreements, always and everywhere; whether they like it or not we shall not abuse our right and privilege of belonging to the glorious movement. Although some within our ranks will want us to consider that the movement most particularly the ANC is privileged to have them as members. Indeed in such windy days the movement particularly the ANC requires some form of self-introspection and more especially in this silly season. Indeed we are faced with windy days of the silly season.

A light diagnoses would agree with the assertion that disagreements in an organized formation are inherently expected because partly the fundamental existence of change in society is as a result of disagreement, thus giving space for new societal outlook. It is within this context that disagreement must never be shut down but in the same vain disagreement must maintain discipline and uphold unity so as to separate disagreements with ill-discipline. The ANC is faced with ill-discipline disguise as the need to change. Carried within this behavior for change is a total disrespect for the movement, but beyond what the naked eye can see, is a serious challenge that requires the movement to deal with decisively otherwise this ‘cancer’ will deal with the ANC decisively.

The current commotion in the ANC and to a certain degree the entire movement is a commotion that is geared toward a consolidation of the movement for the total change of the movement morality and its focus. The focal point of this moral shift has everything to do with the accumulation of capital and nothing to do with working class and the poor. It has everything to do with inculcation of capitalist methods of living and nothing to do with changing the society for its own survival. The ANC right now is faced with this cancer which is haunting it from inside. But what could be the possible cause of this? Is it possible that this is a new syndrome? These are some of the fundamental questions which we need to tackle for a better and broader comprehension of the challenges that face the ANC building up to its centenary Conference.

But what could be the possible cause of the windy days?

“The national middle class which takes over power at the end of the colonial regime is an under-developed middle class. It has practically no economic power, and in any case it is in no way commensurate with the bourgeoisie of the mother country which it hopes to replace….. Neither financiers nor industrial magnates are to be found within this national middle class. The national bourgeoisie of under-developed countries is not engaged in production, nor in invention, nor building, nor labour; it is completely canalized into activities of the intermediary type. Its innermost vocation seems to be to keep in the running and to be part of the racket” (Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth).

This citation affirms that the quest of most liberation movements never looses sight of the fact that, those who come into power want to replace those who are in power without the interest of changing economic relations thus transforming the economy. If not stopped this becomes inevitable cycle. This will lead to the situation where even internal in the liberation movement the change of leadership does not reflect the change of thoughts but the change of those who get to have a ‘bit’ in the cake in today lingo. Thus giving birth and inculcating the thought that the struggle is about who gets what and through who. These are ideas that have been passed on even with the current youth who intend not to wait in getting a piece in the cake, as some would say no wonder the noise they are making. It is within this background that some section within the youth holds a view that that the youth can pursue the working class struggle simply because they are feeling the pressure of consequences of capitalism. We the youth must uphold the correct teachings that we can never be a class on our own but we reflect the class formations of society.  We must continue to fight that our ANC differs from most liberation movements who holds no interest in changing economic relations except the intention of deracialising the economy.

At the core of the challenge is the hidden reality that the democratic breakthrough did not only give space for natives to stand in the line and cast their vote but equally ushered for those in power the ability to increase their patronage package. This democratic breakthrough with its state machinery on the side was an extension of those who were in power to lure those who stood oppose to them to forget matters of principles and begin to think with their stomach. After all, he who pays the pipe plays the tune thus presupposing that he/she, who could be lured, got co-opted in the palace politics of the day and those who were excluded were aggrieved. So this state machinery has now begun to be viewed as a source through which those in power live through. Just like the farmer will milk the cow, so is our state to them. The above patterns could be identified within some section of our ANC leadership, thus the state has became a significant part for some in the ANC not as means of changing our people lives but as means to tame and curve people views so as to ensure that they lead unopposed and get the bigger slice of the cake.

The ANC is now not the vehicle to change people lives but the vehicle which must be used for self enrichment for those who are in power in some section of the ANC leadership. This has been the course for sometime. Never make a mistake not to ponder on the thought that the former leaders of the state and the ANC have not done this but equally not suggesting they have done it. This was further confirmed to be the case post Polokwane where a “homogenous” united front broke immediately when some of those who were at the driving set of the Polokwane train realized that things were not going as they would have thought. Their grievance exposed them to us that, they were in it for capital thus positions were vital for them. Amongst the key complains were matters not so distant from the state machinery and control of South African resources. The first issue was that many thought they will be ministers, when this was not the case they had to say, “after we have fought so hard for this men he places third terms before us, look at us, we are deputizing them”. The second being those that wanted their friends or husbands or wives to be this or that, when that did not happen it was an indication of war and “irretrievable communication breakdown” as the former President will say. These untold realities affirm one thing that, the change of leadership in our days now has less to do, with ideological differences at face value although it has class connotation through action but its more about who can best distribute the pieces of cake for us.

The ANC now has been arrested by some who want to change its revolutionary morality and its path. They cannot wait to be at the driving seating of this glorious movement so as to turn it, and run it in accordance with their desires. Our people have been made to believe that, their issues will be attended to at the ascendance of this group into power in the ANC whilst in reality the advances made will be taken two steps back. They want our people to think that they are true representatives of their interest whilst this is not the case. Their desperation has made them to break loose to organization discipline to begin to mobilize even those they once despised.  Our people are mobilized now and again as demonstration of the “popularity” they have. The working class has become a playing ground for thieves and liars.

There is growing need for the ANC to assert its authority and reign in all its members, guided by the entire collective leadership of the ANC. There is a need for the ANC to start conducting political classes not to pay lip service to regard. This is more required because the ANC is now governing meaning that its membership increase must never be understood as an indication of holy devotion for it. Its growth of membership must be welcomed but must indicate that its growth is coupled with desires from many of us in it ranks. Being the member of the ANC has began to be a symbol of better life and good connections to address the immediate challenges of ones life, primary job of any kind including tendering, secondary going through its structure to access more money and final live the life of fame in the ANC with or without any visible contribution to the life of the ANC. What is at the core of ANC challenges today is the desire by its members and leaders to use the ANC to accumulate. The ANC has now been turned into means to an end, for those whose intentions is accumulate more and more and “defeat capitalism from within as they say” with no or less understanding with what the ANC is fighting for.

 Like most liberation movements the ANC has had at all times maintained within it, two contending classes who had at times intend to drive the liberation movement to a certain direction. These two contending class are reflected through its membership and leadership although the other minority (“capitalist”) class possess great deal of influence assisted by it upper arm in the entire society, the liberation movement has never lucidly deviated from serving the majority class(working class) through it policy and programs. It’s therefore the responsibility of the working class in its entirety to make sure that the liberation movement and the movement as whole maintains its revolutionary morality and mission. The workers of this country must continue to make sure that the ANC in all level continues to intensify is fight against corruption, nepotism, fraud and many other ill of society mostly carried at the expense of the working class interest.  The road towards centenary Conference of the ANC must never be characterized by those who play with the working class desire and intend to portray themselves as genial towards the working class struggles.

Moving towards the centenary conference of the ANC, the glorious movement must once again assert it authority to ranks and files. The ANC must re-educate us of the call made by the forebears of this movement. This is important because within the ranks and file of the ANC there are those who want to reverse that call, mobilizing our people along tribal lines and chauvinistic thoughts. It is important that the ANC must lucidly carry out a message that was once carried out by Pixley ka Isaka Seme, when he said

“Again, it is conclusively urgent that this Congress should meet this year, because a matter which is so vitally important to our progress and welfare should not be unnecessarily postponed by reason of personal differences and selfishness of our leaders. The demon of racialism, the aberrations of the Xosa-Fingo feud, the animosity that exists between the Zulus and the Tongaas, between the Basutos and every other Native must be buried and forgotten; it has shed among us sufficient blood! We are one people. These divisions, these jealousies, are the cause of all our woes and of all our backwardness and ignorance to-day”( Pixley ka Isaka Seme, in Imvo Zabantsundu, October 24, 1911).

It was within this background that the ANC was formed and it has developed itself in different phases of different epoch but in its development it has not moved an inch from this foundation of uniting the society particularly indigenous Africans. It is this ANC that has now developed itself to be the discipline force of the left, thus taking biasness towards the struggle of the working class. It is this development that has clear rooted out the option of dividing our people according to nationalities. It is this view that must be affirmed in the centenary conference of the ANC and anything that stands opposed to that must be rejected with all the contempt it deserves otherwise the section in the ANC that wants us to go back instead of moving forward will seize space and take the glorious movement to the grave.

In conclusion, it is very import that it is reiterated that the ANC it in centenary Conference must affirm its authority and root out any tendencies of misbehaver. It is vital that ANC must return to basic that of prioritizing political education as means of educating its membership which is ever growing with different motives inside it. But most importantly the ANC must maintain political education as means of educating its members for purpose of protecting itself from wrong tendencies which are brought inside the ANC by its own members, after all the party that cannot protect itself is not worth living so say Lenin. In this historic conference the ANC must without doubt ensure that its places organizational work as area of focus more than that of government so to ensure that enough consciousness is developed from its ranks which will be translated to government work not the other way round. Let the centenary conference of the ANC say in unison, let us build a strong discipline force of the left, and let us build a strong ANC looking forward to another centenary.

By Mlondi Mkhize, KZN YCL Organizing Secretary.