Pat on the back for Mthethwa

The minister of South African police, Nathi Mthethwa, has openly criticised those cadres who speak out of turn.

On Wednesday, SABC radio news reported that the minister, who has been a member of parliament since 2002 and is a current member of the national executive committee of the African National Congress, said that: “There’s no revolutionary movement which can ever win any war … if its cadres are ill-disciplined.”

He was speaking at Freedom Day celebrations in Newcastle.

“Cadres must know when to speak and when not to speak and especially when the president of the ANC has spoken, nobody is allowed to speak thereafter. This is something that needs to be instilled in young people.”

Impact of ill-discipline

In light of the disciplinary steps being taken against ANCYL president Julius Malema, who has often publicly expressed opinions or represented views that undermine or contradict President Jacob Zuma or the ANC, the stance being taken by Mthethwa has to be welcomed.

In this regard :

The government is often seen to be at odds with itself over issues such as nationalisation which undermined the president’s state visit to Britain.

The ANC NEC seems powerless when it calls for a bit of discretion over the singing of songs — regardless of whether they agree that it does form part of their heritage or not — when the immediate knee-jerk response is to say that the youth will carry on singing it regardless.

Most importantly of all, the ANC having won elections just over a year ago, the threats by the ANCYL against those who dispute their policies and the attacks on the secretary-general ahead of 2012, totally undermine the efforts of the ruling party to focus on governing because they are too busy fighting internal faction issues.

There has to be a code of conduct regarding elections which allow the president, government and ruling party time to focus on the country until the next election. If this is not regulated properly the party will tear itself apart trying to run the country while placating the members.

What they should be focused on is debating Cosatu and the SACP on economic policies and the Democratic Alliance over issues of national importance such as defence rather than playing nursemaid to what is, after all, their own youth league.

The damage to the party is obvious — every time the government or ANC make a decision which they know is wrong in order to placate members because of internal pressure relating to succession, they lose more voters and hand the opposition ammunition to fire at the next election.

The damage to the country is just as obvious because as a result of placating members there are often opportunity costs in terms of investors running away from what is a great nation currently perceived to be off-track.

Though the ANC might be able to sustain this short term due to the liberation party honeymoon, that will not go on indefinitely.

Mthethwa

The minister has impressed me with the way he is putting the focus on the crime rather than the racial element of the farming question.

By doing so everyone regardless of race is expected to obey the law and if they don’t the police have instructions to crack down on it. That is a step away from polarisation.

Here again he is calling for discipline among party members which will not only benefit the party but the country as well for the reasons set out above.

He seems to combine strength with wisdom and perhaps he might wander over to our minister of defence and explain how a portfolio should be run.