Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
12 December 2023 | 13:08 CAT
2-min read

Last week, Mavuso Msimang resigned from the ANC after more than 60 years. The Deputy President of the ANC’s Veterans League, Msimang was considered a stalwart of the struggle for freedom and a representative of historical ANC freedom fighters. According to some party members, his resignation highlights the deep-seated issues of endemic corruption within the ANC, prompting concerns about the party’s future.

Dr Emmanuel Matambo, research director at the Centre for Africa-China Studies, discussed the issue in the Africa Report earlier today.

Yusuf Pahad, a close friend of Thabo Mbeki, unveiled a memoir that explores the internal challenges and pivotal moments that have shaped the ANC. According to Pahad, the 2007 ANC conference in Polokwane, where Mbeki lost the presidency to Jacob Zuma, contributed to the erosion of the ANC’s integrity, Dr Matambo said.

“And he says in his memoir that the organisation was then overtaken by opportunist, factionalist and setcarian interests from which the ANC and South Africa have yet to recover,” Dr Matambo stated.

With the 2024 elections looming, the ANC faces a critical juncture. President Ramaphosa’s acknowledgment of Msimang’s resignation emphasises the challenges ahead.

“Well, in terms of the moral authority that the ANC once boasted when it had the likes of Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela, that has been eroded already,” Dr Matambo noted. The ANC currently holds a slender lead. The results of a research study by the Rivonia Circle indicate that the ANC would only have received 41% of votes had the elections been held in November 2023.

This decline is not unique to the ANC, as Dr Matambo pointed out the broader trend across Southern Africa. Liberation movements, once revered for their role in fighting colonialism and apartheid, are grappling with a new generation of voters demanding tangible results in governance. Dr Matambo highlighted the troubles facing SWAPO in Namibia, ZANU-PF in Zimbabwe, FRELIMO in Mozambique and Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) in Tanzania and the need to prop up such movements through institutions like the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere National Leadership School in Tanzania.

The interview suggests a shifting political landscape, where historical allegiance to liberation movements is no longer sufficient. Voters seek effective governance and accountability. The ANC and other liberation movements in the region are urged to adapt to these changing expectations or face the risk of diminishing support and potential electoral setbacks.

Listen to the Africa Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.