Experts skeptical of ANC

By Masilo Malakwane

QWAQWA – Political analysts do not trust the ANC to ask its members who have fraudulently acquired candidacy to represent party in the upcoming municipal elections, to resign after being elected, and hold by-elections to replace them.

They described the move as ‘highly unlikely’ given the current state of the ANC, which suggests the party will not win elections by a large margin.

Independent political analyst Mmutlanyana Sekete says the issue of discontent members who challenge the process of electing candidates, if not resolved before elections will impact badly on their support base.

“By that, the deputy president is telling the people to go and elect the person they don’t want, but they should temporarily  love her/him on election day. Challenges of people have been reduced to comedy. This is unfair to those who lodged the disputes,” Sekete said.

Professor Kwandile Kondlo of the University of Johannesburg says, in the light of this, the party will not want to compromise its already dented and slender gains.

“The likelihood actually, if you look at surveys that have been done, that ANC is going to win again overall elections is very slim. They may drop by two or three percent. Leaders keep on piling promises which are not followed by any concrete delivery. Actually, it deepens disgust. I am very worried the ANC is digging its own crave,” he said in an interview with SABC on Tuesday.

A political analyst from Stellenbosch University, Professor Zwelinzima Ndevu, paid tribute to the ANC for opening a process with clear intentions.

“The ANC created a good process which is people driven and bottom up, they have also identified these challenges they face themselves.

“However, I do not see them resolving all their disputes through by-elections. Some of them will actually be attended to depending on how loud voices are. Going to by-elections is not an easy step to take.”

These sentiments come in the wake of the ANC deputy president David Mabuza’s apology to residents of Maluti-A-Phofung, that fixing election lists won’t be possible before the polls as the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has already closed that process.

Mabuza said the only option would be to address the matter after elections, by asking those who have been fraudulently listed to resign.

“There is no way we can pull off names and replace them. The IEC has closed that process. We must just focus now on winning ward 29; we must win it then declare a by-election. Please do not let this issue divide us.

“We can smell a rat here. There are people who have interfered with a democratic process, but we cannot deal with that now. We are in the middle of an election campaign and we request our structures to focus on winning the elections; we will come back and deal with it.”

Mabuza’s apology comes after ANC members in Maluti-A-Phofung raised concerns over wards 28 and 29 which they warned they could lose to the MAP16 Civic Movement, an ANC splinter party that was formed by 16 expelled members. MAP 16 already showed its worth when it won 10 out of 15 wards in recent by-elections which left the ANC with only five.

Echoing Mabuza sentiments, Interim Provincial Committee member, Dibolelo Mahlatsi who is deployed in Thabo Mofutsanyana region, promised the committee will conduct a thorough investigation into the disputes lodged by party members.

“We are going to address all Thabo Mofutsanyana region disputes beyond the local government elections. The committee will work hard to deal with all disputes relating to candidates’ registration and those implicated,” Mahlatsi said.

Mabuza was addressing ANC members in ward 28 on Tuesday this week, as the governing party intensified its electioneering ahead of the November 1 polls.

He also assured the people that their grievances regarding poor service delivery, poor water and electricity supply were already receiving attention.

 “We promised the residents that Eskom will take over the power supply through a court order, so we are now working together with the municipality to prepare for Eskom to take over.”

He was accompanied by the president of the ANCWL Bathebile Dlamini, her deputy Sefora Ntombela and members of provincial IPC.