Mlondolozi Ndlovu

The African National congress (ANC), a party which for long has been a beacon of hope for most of African young democracies, had its National General Council (NGC) in Mildrand which came to an end on Sunday 11 of October, with a number of resolutions being made by the party’s leadership.

A close look at the recommendations by the NGC which President Jacob Zuma described as the ‘most successful’ proves they partly have an effect on Southern African and African countries’ economics and politics, considering the socio-economic and geo-political importance of the ‘Rainbow nation’.

One of the resolutions that shocked me and of cause many long time admirers of the ANC is the decision that the South African ruling party has decided that they may pull out of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

This decision follows perhaps one of the most embarrassing court judgment made in South Africa where that country’s supreme court found the party on the wrong side after allowing dictator Omar Al Bashir out of the country when in fact the court had ordered that he be arrested for human rights violations.

The decision to allow Al Bashir out of South Africa cannot be blamed on the ANC, because Al Bashir was a head of state who could not be arrested while on AU business (of course that’s an old debate).

However, what is worrying is the sudden shift in international politics by the ANC which spells doom for most African countries and of course the millions of citizens who are living under severe dictatorial governments.

Speaking on the ANC to pull out, the party’s spokesperson Zizi Kodwa stated that the decision was a Pan African initiative reached after realizing that the ICC was no longer saving Pan African interests.

Mr Kodwa was quick to mention that the largest political movement in SA would quickly channel efforts towards a stronger African criminal court system.

My question however, is to what extent does ANC expect the blood thirst African politicians to quickly abide by ‘human rights’ when they have failed to do so under a system that they claim has been biased against them?

When they were unrepentantly victimizing their people, when they knew there was the ICC what could be the implications when there is a ‘friendly’ court.

Even though some of these leaders have not been signatory to the ICC, the fact that it existed and that progressive forces had signed and ratified it ‘reduced’ their lack of conscience in as far as violating people’s rights is concerned.

Surely if South Africa is to pull out of the ICC this will be victory for African autocrats, whose lust for power overrides the importance of human rights and human dignity.

This will mean that with the limited resources of a new criminal court, many of the cases/violations of human rights will go unnoticed and the people of Africa will be the greatest losers in this fracas.

In the whole process however this is time for the ANC to first raise the alarm bells with the progressive international system and see what mechanisms can be made to strengthen the ICC such that it avoids biases, pulling out will spell doom for Africa.

Personally I think ANC should not take this decision based on what happened in the Oma Al Bashir incident but must in the same manner do it to honour ‘Pan African interests’, think of what danger will befall the ordinary masses in Africa who are under the yoke of dictatorships.

Another decision made by the recent ANC NGC was that land expropriation was an urgent matter that needed to be carried out.
Of course the ANC is fast realizing that the inequality in South Africa is as a result of the unfair share of resources, especially, the major cause of the revolution- land.

However, in its pursuit for a land policy the ANC should guard against a Zanu PF like land ‘reform’ that will leave the masses in the doldrums of poverty yet they own the land.

Commenting on this development on Facebook, Political analyst Rejoice Ngwenya said;

“We Africans copy mistakes, NOT successes. What (good) can Zuma learn from Mugabe on the land reform when Malema is ALREADY agitating for land grabbing? The ONLY thing that Zimbabweans can teach the ANC is that land grabbing keeps them longer in power!”

The ANC should risk being a basket case after sharing land among incompetent black farmers, who know nothing about farming all in the name of the revolution, this is costly and Zimbabwe is good testimony to this.

Thirdly there are also reports that the ANC’s President Jacob Zuma is reportedly pushing the Presidency for his ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, something which is very worrisome if events in Zimbabwe are anything to go by, where ministers are busy neglecting their duties, spending time at rallies addressed by the First lady.

Any right thinking South Africans should resist this kind of dictatorial tendency. If it is true that Zuma is pushing for his ex-wife, this may create a bad culture of ‘inherited leadership’, by the people as we have known the ANC to be.

These and other factors are making me to fear that the ANC may be slowly but surely going into the wrong direction, away from the exemplary democracy we used to know it for.

This maybe explains why Zuma admitted that the numbers for this revolutionary party are fast but surely diminishing from the previous 1 million to the current over 700 000 membership.

The rise of the Economic Freedom Fighters by Julius Malema who is promising exactly the radical of what the ANC has failed has been suggested as the cause for this decrease, but I doubt if South Africans want to be a failed state like my own Zimbabwe, I think they would prefer a sober ANC, than what it is heading to.
Mlondolozi Ndlovu is a media, political and social analyst based in Harare.