NATAL INDIAN CONGRESS AND UDF LEADERS (FROM LEFT) - GEORGE SEWPERSADH(LATE), BILLY NAIR (ANC, UDF AND NIC NOW LATE), ARCHIE GUMEDE (UDF AND ANC LEADER), M J NAIDOO, AND MEWA RAMGOBIN
The oldest liberation movement and political party in Africa, South Africa's ruling African National Congress (or ANC), recently observed its 103rd anniversary on January 8 2015. Although the event is a major milestone in the struggles in South Africa for a free and non-racial democracy, doubts have been raised about whether the ANC of today still follows the values and principles of its founders and leaders of the calbire of Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo and Walter Sisulu after it was established on January 8 1912. Subry Govender compiled the following report on its 100th anniversary in January 2012 and believes that very little has changed over the past two years.
The ANC has for decades been the political movement that the masses in South Africa looked up to, to bring about not only their liberation from racial oppression, but also as a political party that would promote their social and economic upliftment and well-being in the post apartheid South Africa.
But on its 100th anniversary and on the 18th year as a ruling party, what is the state of affairs?
"The ANC for us with its vision, with its commitment to liberation, with its commitment to non-racialism and unity was and remains, under the current circumstances the only organisation or political formation that can do this in South Africa, the only organisation that can give protection to an enduring peace in our country," said 79-year-old Mewalall Ramgobin, a former struggle leader who served the ANC in the new parliament for 15 years since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
He added: "So its historical role should not be redefined but must be entrenched again and again and again."
ANTI-APARTHEID LEADERS - ARCHIE GUMEDE, ARCHBISHOP DENIS HURLEY, MEWA RAMGOBIN AND DOUGIE PLANNING THE STRUGGLES IN THE MID-1980S.
During the anti-apartheid struggles, Ramgobin was banned and house arrested by the former regime for 20 long years and tried for High Treason in the late 1980s along with eight other leaders of the now disbanded United Democratic Front (or UDF).
He's of the view that there are no other political parties in South Africa at the moment who will be able to promote true non-racialism and democracy and also promote the aspirations of the poor and the disadvantaged. But at the same time he's realistic that the ANC on its 103rd anniversary is caught up with a number of aberrations that are contrary to the to the principles pursued by leaders of the calibre of Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Govan Mbeki and Walter Sisulu. If it fails to take stock of this then it will be in trouble. "If the leadership of the African National Congress does not reflect on the weaknesses it suffers at the moment then the ANC is going to be in trouble. It is against this background that I say that the only thing that is permanent is change and if the change does not take place for the better and if the ANC lacks the capacity to move from the aberrations of the current situation in terms of delivery, unemployment and our fight against corruption then I think the ANC is going to be in trouble."
(POLITICAL ANALYST ZAKHELE NDLOVU)
A senior political analyst and lecturer who is based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, Zakele Ndlovu, agrees with the ANC veteran. He goes one step further and claims that many people have joined the ANC after 1994 just to promote their own interests at the expense of the dispossessed masses.
"All sorts of shady characters have infiltrated the organisation and I think this has contributed to the ANC not living up to expectations. I think some people have simply lost their sense of morality, their sense of what is right and wrong. I think we need people of integrity, people who are going to add value and not fleece the country."
Ndlovu is of the view that many of the ANC leaders today have aped the values of other leaders in Africa and other parts of the world who have become "power" hungry. Some of the leaders have become arrogant and believe they could rule forever.
"Look the ANC has now been in power, this is that 21st year. I think after a while after you have been in power for a while, you and as time continues, the ANC does not want to lose power. Look at the case of Zanu-PF in Zimbabwe and Frelimo in Momzambique. These parties don't want to give up power. In South Africa I think the terminology of labelling opponents as counter revolutionaries is working for the ANC and this shows that they don't want to give up power."
The 103rd anniversary official pomp and ceremony was held in Cape Town and there were other programmes in other parts of the country. Most ANC veterans, political analysts and others believe that the anniversary is an appropriate time for the current ANC leadership to take stock of itself. But even if they do this - questions have been raised as to whether the current leadership will clamp down on self-aggrandisement, hunger for political power, self-enrichment and self-accumulation and corruption.
Many believe the ANC will rule for another decade or so but at the same time will become its own enemy.
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