The ANC under President Ramaphosa moves to clean house – finally
Corruption has had a profoundly negative impact on South Africa’s economy and society. At the same time, the country’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), has been guilty of a myriad of corrupt practices, both at the local and national levels. Notably, government finances have deteriorated significantly while economic growth has suffered, particularly during the past decade. The effects of corruption and overall poor governance on the economy were especially evident since South Africa’s economy underperformed, while the overall global economy flourished (before the Covid-19 pandemic).
Consequently, the party has been losing popularity over the past years, which has led to increasingly less favorable election outcomes. By means of illustration, during the latest general elections (in 2019), with less than 60%, the ANC received the lowest share of votes since 1994 (South Africa’s first democratic elections). The party also lost its majority in four major metropolitan municipalities during the 2016 local elections.
Against this backdrop, the ANC has sought to win back the hearts of South Africans by cleaning up the party and its government of corruption. It was during its 54th National Conference in 2017 that the party resolved to embark on an “organizational renewal”, which involved a number of strategies to deal with corruption. One of these was the decision made by the party to part ways with members implicated in corruption as stated in its resolutions.
It was on the back of this resolution that during its most recent National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, which ended on the evening of March 29, one of the most crucial decisions regarding corruption was made by the party. On addressing the nation, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared that the NEC resolved that ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule (along with all others implicated in corruption) had been given 30 days to step aside from his role or face suspension alongside disciplinary action by the party.
Meanwhile, the country’s fight against corruption continues. President Ramaphosa indicated that the ANC NEC continues to support the work of the Zondo commission into state capture. The ANC’s organizational renewal has to pick up speed if it hopes to convince the disillusioned masses that the Party under the leadership of Ramaphosa has any hope of self-cleansing. For his part, President Ramaphosa has to show a lot more urgency in his approach to bringing to account those who are implicated in the theft of public resources.
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