Healthy debate replaced by political engineering

Monday’s Sowetan is reporting that Limpopo Premier Cassel Mathale was chased out of a meeting by angry members of the ANC in the Waterberg region on Saturday.

Allegedly the basis for his being there was to convey a decision taken by the provincial working committee on Tuesday that the Waterberg region should be disbanded for “failing to provide political leadership”.

Interestingly, at Tuesday evening’s meeting ANCYL president Julius Malema was also present.

Members of the region said their “unruly behaviour” was as a result of a refusal to allow questions about the decision to disband the regional structure. They claim that because the meeting to announce the decision was disbanded the region is still operational.

Mathale told members that he would convene a proper regional general council meeting, assumedly for that purpose.

An ANC leader in the region, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Sowetan the decision to disband the regional structure was taken because “members differed with Mathale’s supporters”. He added the plan by Mathale and his supporters was to ensure that the region went to next year’s local government elections led by a task team favourable to them so that they could appoint mayors and councillors who were in their good books.

Unacceptable
As in the case of the ANCYL evicting opponents of Malema from their conference in Limpopo, the decision taken by Mathale and the provincial working committee is not only undemocratic, it’s also very dangerous.

If the region is being disbanded because it comprises those who oppose Mathale then, as in the case of the ANCYL, the party is allowing certain elements to contrive results by closing down legitimate avenues of dissent.

Instead of achieving their desired goal of engineering the hierarchy they want within the province or beyond, what they are doing is opening up a pandora’s box of “alternative measures” as the only means by which opponents can express their resistance to these unilateral decisions.

For example, a large bloc of the Mbeki faction feared for their future in the ANC and chose to go it alone as Cope. That was a legitimate expression of discontentment with the party.

In the case of the ANCYL members denied a proper conference in the Limpopo — who were then disciplined for trying to reconvene the same — what are their legitimate options?

In the case of the ANC members of the Waterberg region who oppose Mathale, what are their options? Why must their region be closed down?

If every time the powers that be throw people out of conferences or close down regions because they don’t agree with the candidate chosen by the members, then the party is inviting breakaway parties and mutiny.

When the ANC then suggest using legitimate channels, the disaffected ANCYL members can point to being disciplined for trying that in Limpopo and the Waterberg region can claim that they were closed down as a result.

How can it ever be in the interests of the party for healthy debate to be replaced by political engineering?

It can only create massive dissension and resentment on the ground.

Threat to democracy
The question is then what direction will that take in light of the fact that normal channels have been closed to those who disagree.

Once leadership is then so far removed from the grassroots — as to represent a small minority of the party — what will they then do to cling to power? That’s when the question of democracy in South Africa will come under threat.

Limpopo needs to be told the direction they are taking is unacceptable and neither in the interests of the party nor the country.