A blogger thrown backstage of the ANC
Our observer Ndumiso Ngcobo was the only blogger who was able to attend the ANC (Africa National Congress) congress which ends on Friday. He sees the election of , who succeeds Thabo Mbeki as the party leader. Ndumiso Ngcobo follows the week's and offers a fresh look at the ANC with a humorous parody.
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Our observer Ndumiso Ngcobo was the only blogger who was able to attend the ANC (Africa National Congress) congress which ends on Friday. He sees the election of Jacob Zuma, who succeeds Thabo Mbeki as the party leader. Ndumiso Ngcobo follows the week's events and offers a fresh look at the ANC with a humorous parody.
Commentary from Ndumiso Ngcobo, our observer for South Africa
There are huge differences between Zuma and Mbeki, and the first we see in their respective paths to the top. Zuma came from a poor, working class background and worked his way up through sheer talent and a streetwise attitude. On the contrary, Mbeki was born into the ANC's 'aristocracy' and groomed for leadership from an early age. He's an internally-looking, intellectual thinker who lives inside his head most of the time. He is correctly characterised as 'aloof' and struggles to connect with the man-in-the-street. Zuma, on the other hand, draws his inspiration from interaction with his comrades, the rank-and-file of the organisation and ordinary people. Another difference is that Zuma is a natural peacemaker and unifier and not rigid in the face opposing ideas. The latter-day Mbeki has grown increasingly intransigent in his views.But Zuma's past is a huge dark cloud hanging over his head and both he and his supporters know it. That's why some of his allies, within 12 hours of his election, called for the case against him to be aborted [various scandals have dented his image]. The fear is that the 'Mbeki camp' still hold the institutional power of the state and might accelerate the process of charging him in a desperate attempt to weaken him.
However, the party's members are capable of getting over their divisions. After the emotions that have built up over the last four to five years have subsided, the natural inclination of the ANC will be to close ranks and forge some kind of unity, however uneasy. The unity in the ANC will hinge on two factors. Firstly, the Mbeki camp managing to accept that Zuma is the president. And secondly, Zuma's ability to pacify the ‘bloodhounds' and extend a genuine olive branch to the 'other side'."
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Thrown backstage of the ANC
In a fictitious and humorous style, Ndumiso Ngcobon assesses the realism of the ANC and insists on their need to refresh their Imagine, if you will, a group of people inside an amphibious submarine vessel/airplane. Imagine that it starts out on a voyage underwater. Let's assume that the occupants are unaware of the amphibious nature of the boat. (...) After a while, you can see how the fact that they are operating in an aquatic environment could end up being a universal, religious truth.Now imagine that the ‘aeroboat' sails out of the water and starts flying. Without too much imagination, you can see how important it would be that the occupants look outside the window to scan their environment from time to time. However, if their aquatic world view had attained religious status, you can imagine how they wouldn't bother looking outside. Now, imagine that you are banging against the window of the cockpit, trying to point out to the captain that he was not underwater any more but, in fact, floating in the sky. I think you'll agree with me that his standard retort would be: "Ha ha ha! You do not understand our submarine." End of retarded analogy.
I think you know where I'm going with this. I think the ANC is in need not only of introspection, but also of some outward-looking to find the answers it seeks. The organisation's survival does not lie in closing rank but in an honest, cold-hearted scan of the environment in which it operates. (...) ANC members do not live inside the organisation like they did in exile. They live in the real world where more money is better than less money. In the natural clamour for scarce resources, competition will get acrimonious and discipline might be lost. Rather deal with that reality than making condescending proposals to 'conduct more thorough political education'. That's just ANC-speak for 'convince people that less money is better than more money'."
Posted 18 December 2007
Originally posted on his blog, The Silwane Files Post your questions to Ndumiso Ngcobon