Moving parliament will not silence Nkandla questions

We are told that when former Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi was young and his soccer team was losing, he would simply take his ball and leave the field.

Last week, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe suggested that the ruling party should consider taking away the ball by moving parliament from Cape Town to Pretoria.

It is concerning that Mantashe wants parliament moved because the authorities in Cape Town could not deal with the chaos that followed a standoff with Julius Malema and other Economic Freedom Fighters' MPs.

If this is how the ANC will deal with challenges - by opting to move government functions to provinces it controls - the nation should ask where the leaders are. Mantashe exposes the low levels of leadership in the ANC: when faced with problems leave the stage and find a place where you can call the shots.

If Thursday's disruption had taken place in an ANC-run province, what would the party have done? Would it have allowed the police to storm parliament?

Mantashe and those who support his views should not abdicate their responsibility to find solutions through engagement. Moving parliament from Cape Town will not solve the crisis we have because the administration is unable to hold the executive accountable.

Even if Gauteng, Mpumalanga or any other province were to become the seat of government, people's demands would remain. What Mantashe should call for is cool heads.

While the jury is still out on whether President Jacob Zuma had a hand in the abuse of public funds to upgrade his private home in Nkandla, the nation has every right to discuss the matter and ask questions of him.

The problem is that the ANC is dominated by certain members loyal to the president rather than the party, and they dominate our discourse.

If we are to move parliament, it should not be for the reasons advanced by Mantashe. The only sensible reason to move from Cape Town is to do away with two seats of government.