Should ANC muzzle Zuma or follow Solidarity's call for an early election?

Jacob Zuma’s interview with the Financial Times of London, wherein he expressed the view that it is the ANC rather than the government that is the centre of power, has given rise to a call for early elections by the trade union Solidarity.

In the interview with the British newspaper, JZ claims that the national president and his Cabinet are lame ducks and that the real authority is the party.

This is obviously not sitting too well with all members of the party and, on Sunday, City Press‘s political staff carried an article headed “ANC muzzles Zuma“.

To place this in context, I believe we also need to look at another article by City Press on the same day, which says that “the more we get to know Zuma, the uglier the picture”. So no love lost there.

In addition, Afrikaans Sunday newspaper Rapport carried an article wherein Solidarity calls on the ANC to use its majority in Parliament to call for an early election.

The trade union suggests that the interview in the Financial Times is the clearest indication of the rift between the national and ANC presidents, and if the government no longer carries any meaningful authority, the time has come for new elections.

As we all know, President Thabo Mbeki has no intention of standing down short of term-end. What would be required is a vote of no confidence in Parliament. With two centres of power, one apparently a lame duck, this seems to be the route to go.

Of course this fails to factor in JZ’s trial in August as well as the fact that although there is a rift, it is the ANC in power and the party may be loath at this time to gear up for an early election. The major beneficiary of such an election would probably be the opposition, with, in my humble opinion, the ANC returning with a healthy but reduced majority.

At present the issues of crime, finances, electricity, health and any number of assorted disasters do not place the party in a particularly favourable light. Accordingly, it may well wish to use the additional time allocated, in the ordinary course between elections, to start turning things around.

The problem is, can the ANC start singing from one hymn book or are we going to keep getting two opposing views on or approaches to the same issue?

Should this seemingly rudderless approach be allowed to continue or is an early election necessary to bring stability — or, even if it does not achieve that, at least one voice from the ruling party?

But would it?

If Helen Zille is to be believed, then JZ is a political polygamist without any real views of his own. Accordingly, bringing about an early election may simply result in a number of views from one centre of power — the party then in control of the government.

Of course, the ANC could hardly muzzle JZ as national president.

Welcome to a brand-new week in the new South Africa.