ANC in dire need of a consultative conference to fix moral decay

AS THE Madlanga Commission proceedings unfold, the ANC faces its most defining moments since the 1969 Morogoro Consultative Conference —a test of conscience, survival and renewal.

- ZAMIKHAYA MASETI

ANC LEADERS Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo exchange greetings at the party's first national congress following its unbanning to be held on South African soil in Durban on July 2, 1991. The ANC elders often remind us that the movement carries within its DNA a tradition of self-correction, says the writer.

(AFP)

The movement, once redefined its moral compass in exile, today must confront the erosion of that very moral foundation within its own house. The unfolding events around the Madlanga Commission echo that earlier moment of reckoning, demanding honesty, courage and self-correction.

The recent raid on the Rustenburg property of controversial businessman Brown Mogotsi has opened another troubling chapter in the intersection between politics, money and morality within the liberation movement.

What appeared to be a poorly coordinated police operation has now evolved into a potentially explosive political scandal.

In an interview with Xoli Mngambi on Newzroom Afrika, Mogotsi issued a chilling warning, “abanye bazo khala,” which simply means some will cry tears.

He was certainly making indirect reference to some ANC leaders with business ties to him and fellow criminal syndicates. His mention of Vusumuzi Cat Matlala’s R100 000 contribution to the ANC’s January 8 dinner is deeply unsettling.

The suggestion that money derived from criminal activities may have entered the coffers of the ANC’s premier anniversary celebration is not only scandalous, it strikes at the ethical heart of the movement.

Herein lies the existential crisis facing the ANC, the blurring of lines between legitimate political fundraising and the contamination of its historic institutions by illicit money.

The January 8th commemoration, once a moment of unity and renewal, now risks being remembered as the event that exposed the moral bankruptcy of the organisation.