Zuma is nobody's puppet - Thought Leader

As South Africans approached their elections earlier this year, many were apprehensive about the favours that were owed by the then presumptive President Jacob Zuma to the left wing of the ANC, Cosatu, the SA Communist party and the ANC Youth League.

Indeed analysts and political observers expressed concerns that the President would land up as some sort of puppet, unable to move for the political capital owed and too afraid to swim upstream with the corruption charges lurking.

Moreover these fears were heightened when labour decided to flex its muscles with wave after wave of crippling strikes before the ink on Zuma’s inauguration documentation had even begun to dry.

Over the past few months however we have witnessed anything but the scenarios envisaged above.

Instead of trying to deflect the issue on corruption Zuma has met it head on, all the while surrounding himself with a ring of steel comprising his appointments in key positions. As director of the NDPP he placed Menzi Simelane, Mo Shaik as spy boss and Bheki Cele as National Police Commissioner. Zuma loyalists to a man.

As such it is going to be interesting to see what joy Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille has in respect of first removing Simelane and then reinstating the charges against Zuma.

Zuma as a puppet of the left is an even bigger eye-opener.

It seems as if everyone had overlooked the fact that the ANC NEC is all powerful in controlling the affairs of the party, the government and even the President.

The recalling of former President Thabo Mbeki should have alerted everyone to this and further that in terms of party politics the body has no equal. In Mbeli’s defence the policies that he, as President, is supposed to have instituted without resorting to the collective are non-existent. Accordingly to blame the Aids policies on him alone must be seen in that light.

In the case of Zuma their strength is there for all to see.

When the SACP special conference appeared to be used an opportunity to signal the alliance partners displeasure at the way in which the ANC was failing to meet them halfway on economic policy, deployment and equal say in how it runs its affairs, the NEC met and signalled their intent to clamp down on those whose dissent was out of order.

They confirmed that Cronin and Malema would be called in and disciplined but the SACP had best explain why the comrades had been booing their delegation at Polokwane. They also confirmed that they would not tolerate those who openly defy the ANC.

All the while the ANC Youth League and Malema were going straight for the throat of the SACP.

The result?

One by one the leaders of Cosatu, the YCL and the SACP have either come out and condemned the booing at the SACP conference or toned the rhetoric right down.

Young Communist League leader Buti Manamela denied that the South African Communist Party is trying to take over the African National Congress and confirmed that while the alliance partners may try to influence one another it was the ANC who are the boss.
Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said there is no crisis in the tripartite alliance, only a problem with personalities. He also condemned the booing while expressing regret at the personalised spats between members of the ANCYL, the Young Communist League and the SACP.

Yesterday, SACP deputy general secretary Jeremy Cronin confirmed that they were “ready and keen” to meet with the ANC – which will take place early in the new year.

Accordingly from raging strikes and open defiance we are now witnessing the ANC demonstrating that it has the capability and the will to reign in those who believe that they can reign in elements of the alliance if called upon to do so.

It also shows that the ANC will not allow the President that it elected at Polokwane to become anybody’s puppet and should parties wish to engage them on issues it must be done in an orderly fashion without threats.

That is good news for the country.