South Africa’s Ramaphosa says the ANC needs to be restructured to get support | Political Issues

The ruling party commemorates the 110th anniversary of its founding with a series of violent factions and corruption cases.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the ruling African National Congress to redouble its efforts to crack down on corruption and divisive nationalism.

In commemoration of the ANC’s 110th anniversary on Saturday, Ramaphosa was deeply moved, emphasizing that the Nelson Mandela party, which helped South Africa achieve democracy, had lost the opportunity to vote.

“We need to be very clear in realizing that we are dealing with the fact that the ANC is in crisis,” Ramaphosa said.

“Most of them focus on inter-party conflicts, factional divisions and advancing the interests of individual leaders rather than just the areas in which they are supposed to serve.”

The rally in Polokwane in the northern part of Limpopo comes just days after a government-sponsored investigation revealed the achievements of other party officials. chicks.

The ANC is also deeply divided between supporters of Ramaphosa, who is also the party’s president, and loyal to former President Jacob Zuma, who has been embroiled in controversy since resigning in 2018.

Zuma’s refusal to appear before the commission of inquiry landed him in jail for 15 months in July last year. caused riots which started with looting and looting in the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng districts.

More than 340 people died in the riots.

Melanie Verwoerd, a former member of parliament for the ANC, told Al Jazeera that the ruling party was “suffering”.

“[The ANC now] is a very different party to the ANC in 1994. At the moment the party is suffering in an orderly fashion, ”said Verwoerd.

“He is also facing financial difficulties as a result of the new law on political party funding. They have no money and have not been able to pay their employees for a long time, ”he added.

The ANC came to power in 1994 when the first democratic elections took place and Mandela became the first black president.

However, his support has declined in recent years and he received less than 50 percent of the votes cast in the local election in October, which was the worst case scenario.

Ramaphosa says many ANC supporters have been punished for not voting.

“Many citizens have expressed their dissatisfaction with the ANC and its role in preventing elections,” he said on Saturday.

Modibe Modiba, co-founder and director of The Insight Factor – a social media platform, told Al Jazeera that South Africa’s politics were changing and the ANC was being blamed.

“The ANC has found it difficult to differentiate itself from the corruption that is taking place in this country because the party is part of the corruption that is taking place,” Modibe said.

“The ANC also finds itself in a war of attrition. The party is no longer united, fighting against each other. We have seen government agencies being used against the former president of the party,” Modibe said.

The ANC is expected to hold its election rally later this year, with Ramaphosa expected to run for re-election as party leader. But he faces stiff opposition from those who remain loyal to Zuma.

The ANC was formed in 1912 to oppose white supremacy and to campaign for black South African democracy.

Only 2,000 people took part in the ANC’s commemoration of the year because of the COVID-19 measures that prevent outdoor meetings from being 2,000.