This past week’s ANC Gauteng provincial conference followed in the disorderly footsteps of its Eastern Cape counterpart, with leaders more engrossed in their own ego trips than the future journey of the ruling party and its electorate.
This is the last province that can afford the levels of chaos and disorganisation that played out in Benoni on the East Rand over the past few days.
The ANC in Gauteng is on the brink of occupying the opposition benches as the 2024 national and provincial polls loom.
It narrowly survived in the 2019 elections, getting just above the 50% majority.
With this in mind, many would have expected the party’s membership and leaders in the province to be preoccupied with arresting the decline.
Such commitment, among other things, would have been demonstrated by a provincial conference making a deliberate effort to discuss topics that matter and how to survive and cement its position as leader of the provincial government.
But sadly this was not the case as individual leaders vying for the top positions took centre stage.
Not a single commission meant to discuss policy matters and strategic direction towards 2024 was entertained.
Even a lecture by outgoing provincial chairperson David Makhura for the conference to focus on topics that affect the electorate fell on deaf ears.
“When you adjourn this conference, the only question should not be who are the people elected. But the fundamental question should be what are the decisions of the conference as it pertains to the plight of people in our communities?” said Makhura.
“The ANC places a premium on policy discussions and strategy and tactics because this is about the change that our communities need.”
But at the ANC Gauteng gathering, it was all about slate politics and who walked away with the provincial chairperson crown.
With the event billed to start on Thursday afternoon, it was yet to resume by Friday midday and was rocked by several delays.
As expected, whenever leadership positions came up, the debate over credentials was one long stop-and-go debate with neither of the factions willing to compromise.
This jostling over credentials went on for most of Saturday night, well into the wee hours of Sunday.
Not a single commission meant to discuss policy matters and strategic direction towards 2024 was entertained.
Voting would take most of Sunday, with results announced in the early hours of Monday, followed by the closing addresses.
To make up for it, a motion for another separate, meaningful gathering was proposed.
“This conference mandates the incoming PEC to convene a special provincial general council (PGC) based on the delegates to this provincial conference, to attend to strategy and tactics policy review and organisational renewal, as well to develop a provincial response to the policy papers prepared for the national policy conference and the 55th national conference (in December),” reads the motion that was adopted.
But in the ANC Gauteng gathering, it was all about slate politics and who walked away with the provincial chairperson crown.
Whether that will be enough to keep the party in control of the provincial government is a different question altogether.
The responsibility rests with newly-elected Panyaza Lesufi and his team.
It will be a mammoth task since he will first have to convince party members who did not support him to get on board.
This after Thembinkosi “TK” Nciza — on Lebogang Maile’s slate — was elected provincial secretary, while Tasneem Motara will deputise him.
Lesufi was elected with a secretariat that is 100% “Adiwele”, the campaign slogan of the Maile faction.
Whether the Nciza-Motara duo will dance to Lesufi’s tune is a question to which the answer may take a long time to reveal itself, if ever.
But Lesufi’s “radical approach to issues” may well be what is needed to save the ANC from losing power in the country’s economic and industrial hub.
“Panyaza (Lesufi) is a risk taker and radical of note, when he sets his mind on something. Look at how he transformed the department of education in Gauteng since taking over that portfolio as MEC,” opined a delegate.
“From digitalising the enrolment of learners at schools, to bridging the gap between public schools and former model-C schools amid spirited resistance, you have to give the man flowers for being a forceful and strong leader, capable of taking the ANC in Gauteng back to its glory days.”
“Glory days” may be an overreach but even just preventing a painful fall from glory may be considered a success.
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