ANC veteran Mathews Phosa has urged the ANC to admit its failures over the past 30 years, and the acknowledgement should be unflinching as South Africa still grapples with
insecurity, hunger, deteriorating infrastructure and pervasive corruption.
In a brutal speech during a Mandela Day event at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton, Joburg, Phosa told the audience that the May 29 elections outcomes marked a seismic shift from the post-apartheid era when the ANC was the dominant force.
Phosa is a former commander of the ANC’s armed wing uMkhonto we Sizwe and also headed the party’s legal department in the early 90s. He is
also the party’s former treasurer general.
He served as the first premier of Mpumalanga after the 1994 democratic elections.
Phosa said President Cyril Ramaphosa faced torturous challenges from those who are now without jobs or political security.
He urged the Ramaphosa administration to take key lessons from Nelson Mandela’s life, emphasising selfless love for the country, the true nature of power, the futility of grudges, the necessity for introspection, and the importance of unity and listening to the electorate.
He said concrete advice from Mandela included dropping egos, focusing on achievements over positions, avoiding externalising blame and embracing inclusivity.
Phosa said Mandela taught that love for the country should be bigger than egos, and that “we should all strive to find causes bigger than ourselves”.
“Let us all benefit from the wisdom of Madiba, the leader who left bitterness behind and looked to the future with hope,” Phosa said.
“Power is not positional. History will not judge politicians on which office they held, but on what they achieved,” he said.
Phosa said he also learned that grudges, however well-founded, were not helpful when looking forward or negotiating.
He added that seeking external excuses for non-performance blocked political introspection.
“Apartheid and the weak global economy fall into this category,” he said.
Phosa said the ANC’s loss of electoral majority marked a significant turning point in South African politics, which compelled the party to seek a coalition government with rivals such as the DA and the IFP.
“Thirty years after liberation, the voters have rejected the ANC as the majority voice of society. As members of the governing party, we must admit that three decades after 1994, we have not achieved our goal of a better life for all.
“We are not safe; people are hungry and cold; our infrastructure is deteriorating; and we are suffering from terminal corruption. Nothing we can say or spin changes the fact that we failed in our attempt to heal the ills
of apartheid.
“Our beloved country is a better place for a selected few, mostly politicians and their friends, but not for all. We are a country of heroes and hope. Mandela was an iconic hero. It is up to us, as mere mortals than he, to keep the flame of hope alive and strong,” Phosa said.
