ANC renewal headache

The ANC’s bid for renewal this week was haunted by allegations of corruption at its national general council (NGC), with the party being forced to defend itself against the deep rot in its ranks.

- Brian Sokutu

This came after president Cyril Ramaphosa’s political overview report, where he bemoaned the quality of cadres in the organisation, conceding that corruption was a major challenge in the party.

Ramaphosa conceded that corruption, criminality and factionalism within the party were a major headache.

National spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri was forced to come to the defence of the party and was at pains to separate the organisation from individuals destroying its legacy.

BhenguMotsiri maintained that the ANC itself was “not corrupt”.

“I always say that if the ANC was a corrupt party - not individuals - we would not be poor. We would be tapping into the resources of the state as a governing party.”

With unpaid staff at its Luthuli House headquarters staging a protest on the first day of the NGC, the incident laid bare the financial position of the country’s biggest party; the sheriff seizing some of its property over unpaid debt and its workers receiving salaries late.

Asked by the Mail & Guardian for comment on the corruption allegations, Bhengu-Motsiri maintained:

“You certainly can divorce corrupt individuals from the party or a company - something which is standard.

“We insist that the ANC is not a corrupt organisation. Individuals found to be involved in corrupt activities must face the full might of the law.”

While the spectre of corruption hung in the air at the NGC, the party this week also faced a crisis with its Tripartite Alliance partner, the SA Communist Party (SACP), refusing to budge on its decision to contest next year’s local government elections on its own for the first time since 1994.

Labour federation Cosatu is the other member and is also calling for a reconfiguration of the Alliance.

Cosatu also wants the ANC to intensify its renewal campaign and hold errant members accountable.