From CODESA, GEAR, NDP to the increasing noises of radical transformation, the ANC has not demonstrate any radical appetite to transform the economy. In fact, from CODESA, the ANC made too many concessions that I find bizarre. The sabotage or lack of desire to empower the masses warrants that we take a look at the elusive CODESA minutes. I suspect the interest of the ANC was to govern than to transform the country from apartheid and colonial racist prejudice. For starters, to allow an apartheid national anthem to be included in the new democratic national anthem was weird. You don’t reconcile by undermining oneself. The ANC failed in CODESA to radical affirm black people’s dignity especially those who died battling Afrikaner nationalism. Currently, we have the NDP as the main ANC economic guideline and it has nothing to do with radical economic transformation. It will seem the main “war room” stratagem is to fill stadia and organize people assembles to continue repeating the same promises. The ANC talk of radical transformation now sound like the continuous blaming of apartheid on everything without action. Radical economic transformation sloganeering must be left to the opposition. As the party in power, the ANC should implement it instead of talking about it. I am keenly waiting to hear details of the ANC radical transformation details. Also, want to hear how radical transformation and the NDP vision 2030 will work. Maybe the ANCWL purported female leader to succeed Zuma will have balls to implement radical economic transformation.
The ANC have failed to use its political power to gain economic power for the masses. As we learned many moons ago ‘’power unused is powerless”. So far, the party has dismally failed to use its political power to empower the masses economically. Political power is mainly used to access and plunder state resources. The black and ANC elites have monopolized the looting of the public purse in the name of transformation. Unlike the Afrikaners, the ANC is looking after itself and its cronies. The Afrikaners were not apologetic about emancipating their own. They deliberately skilled whites without any fear. Why can’t the ANC do the same? As it stands, is either the ANC has no capacity to understand how much power it has or they sold the masses a lie. Given this level of powerlessness and ineptitude of a special kind, I also buy the sold out story. For the ANC to continue to blame white monopoly capital and apartheid is disingenuous after 23 years. Interestingly, when the ANC destroys SOE’s and other government functionaries, white monopoly capital is inaudible. As soon as the ANC government touches treasury, they got a huge international tongue lashing. As of now, the president and the ANC cannot simple touch the finance ministry without the backlash of those with economic power. This is despite the fact that it is the president constitutional prerogative to appoint and disappoint. It will take some convincing to believe that a party that is forced to reverse a political decision by unelected billionaires can implement radical transformation. Radical transformation will result in a direct confrontation with the so called investors and white monopoly capital. The ANC have not demonstrated any desire to confront the structure of the economy because they are eating. After all, most of them have been silenced with shares and sits in boards of the white capitalist firms they seem to despise.
Political identity is important for any party’s longevity and direction. The ANC sounds like the DA when it deals with the so called investors and is like the EFF when it addresses its supporters. The party identity should be informed by the NDP because it’s their chosen economic path. President Zuma’s last highly guarded SONA was full of repetitive radical hot air. His speech never detailed how Zuma’s radical rhetoric will pass the constitutional test. My view is that only a two thirds majority will fast track land restitution and economic transformation. The ANC transformational talk shop of radical politics is meaningless without action. Firstly, you cannot preach radical transformation and reconciliation in the same verse. Decisiveness is required to address transformation and redress. On the land question, the state should identify and ring fence arable and productive land earmarked for redress. Expropriate land for public interest, go to court and test the constitution on the issue of compensation. Compensating every transaction will certainly bankrupt the state. Radical transformation requires radical program and a desire to follow through. The ANC cannot achieve this with a multifaceted broad church identity. Currently, the ANC identity crises is both external and internal. Internally, the ANC consist of various components hence they are sometimes called a broad church. Unfortunately, the broad church elites have only one chief desire in mind which is to steal. The NEC or the party’s think tank is void of any united cogent agenda to advance any radical program or NDP. What is clear is the individual jostling of members for personal glory. Externally, the ANC have promoted reconciliation without justice or with costly complicated redress undertones. It remains to be seen if the ANC have balls to take the EFF 6 percent, change the constitution and practice radical transformation instead of behaving insane by repeating empty promises yearly. It must confront the transformation resistance head on. As of now, I don’t know whether the ANC is Right, Left, Centre, Nationalist or just a party that is happy to govern without any political identity?
By Sivodlo Silombo
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