Even as Luthuli House adopted a political strategy to bluetick former president Jacob Zuma to starve his MK Party’s election campaign of momentum, insiders in the ANC’s top brass warn that turning a blind eye to the looming threat could inadvertently dent the governing party’s electoral prospects.
There is a sense of eagerness and urgency within the party’s structures for Zuma to be confronted head-on, lest voters perceive the ANC as truly out of touch and complacent, which could lead to people voting for alternative parties, including the MK Party, according to those sounding the alarm bells.
Zuma dealing a blow to ANC
One province highlighted as being at risk is KwaZulu-Natal, which hosts the country’s second-biggest population after Gauteng and is also Zuma’s home turf.
Said one national executive committee member: “Zuma is a strategic person, and he is single-handedly dealing with the ANC through his party. He is working hard to sway voters away from the ANC, and his actions should be condemned.
“If the ANC doesn’t act now, there will be trouble. The water is already getting into the house, and whatever is happening is a ticking time bomb that will explode and leave the ANC in tatters.”
Taking ANC to the cleaners
Another insider said the ANC should act now to discipline Zuma, as his intentions were clear: he wanted to take the party to the cleaners.
“If the party does nothing about this Zuma tirade, there will be consequences. The party is also scared to discipline him or expel him because if that happens, it will also be another recipe for disaster.
“This whole Zuma debacle is causing a mess for the ANC. However, the party should deal with him right now and work on the strategy of winning the hearts of the voters. If not, the party will find itself on the backfoot during the elections,” said an insider.
But ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said the party was not worried about the mushrooming of new political parties, including Zuma’s MK Party.
ANC not concerned about other parties
“The ANC views this as a celebration of a democracy that we have fought for since 1912. It is a testament to the many years of our struggle for the liberation of our country. Our priority is to deliver a democratic and prosperous South African society. We are not concerned about what others are doing.
“We are building better communities, as the recent Stats SA survey has shown. Our election machinery is on the ground. The reports we are receiving indicate a positive response from our people,” said Bhengu-Motsiri.
On Zuma’s matter, she said that the ANC has internal democratic processes to deal with the issue of the former president of the country and the party. “At the right time, when decisions are taken by appropriate structures, an announcement will be made,” she said.
