SHEM, ANC…..

Selby Vusimusi Moyo
Activist

By Selby Vusumzi Moyo
Activist

Perhaps before dealing with the African National Congress (ANC) and its president as well as of the territory, Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa, say kudos to the men and women of the Constitutional Court.

What a way to celebrate the four decades of the constitution! We hope this celebration will be amplified when they embark on the process of making it fairer and just for the majority of the citizens.

For this is where victory and greater celebration will manifest themselves.

One is moved to empathise with the ANC for what has befallen, or befalling it.

It is as if we are watching a giant falling… in slow motion. And no doubt, we are wondering what impact that will have.

I hear some analysts say that President Ramaphosa wanted to leave.

It is hard to believe as it is known what the ANC do protect their leaders. They have always “closed ranks”, to display their arrogance.

For it is about staying in power, by hook or crook.

And the ANC has never been shy about aggressing everyone with their majority.

We are waiting to see if they are still going to misuse that majority power, this time around.

But back to Ramaphosa. With this at the back of his mind, he had to be seen to be doing something.

For me, announcing his decision he was resigning, he was in fact pretending.

Because his main objective was to test whether he was still popular.

He and his party (or at least his faction) had already agreed as to what would be the next step to take — which was for him to stay on.

We must remember that at the time the ANC was not sure who would take over if he had left.

But it was toward the period of elections, and factions were rearing their heads and others had to be neutralised.

We should also be wary on whether this decision of the Constitutional Court will have any effect on the decision of the Reserve Bank.

How was it convincing seeing that the president had foreign currency which was not declared? That should have left everybody worried that the Bank has erred in its judgement, and therefore was supposed to be taken to task.

Clearly, the Reserve Bank’s decision was a case of “the king’s men” protecting royalty.

I would forgive anyone who concludes it is more about loyalty, and not justice.

What would interest the country, more than impeachment, is seeing the president get a chance to testify in court.

I hope we are not going to be made fools again with presidents playing tricks dodging their day in court.

It is nonsensical that presidents would not want to appear in court.

Even when they say they want to have their day in court.

Today we hear President Ramaphosa saying he welcomes the judgement of the Constitutional Court.

Will he also play the avoidance game that we saw former President Jacob G Zuma play with the courts? At our expense for that matter…

President Ramaphosa has not only embarrassed himself, but he also compromised his party.

Of course, we will not feel guilty to say that the ANC could not be embarrassed by what is taking place.

Not when they stood in parliament against the constitution, and in support of their president.

It is even suspect that they welcome the judgement.

They are trying hard to come up with a PR strategy, saying nothing wrong has been found against the president.

But that is neither here nor there — the country could not be dragged to witness the proceedings at the Constitutional Court today had Ramaphosa not been central to the whole goings-on.

It is thus impossible to separate him from the problem for which some in parliament wanted him to account for.

So, the PR exercise is a fiasco, whichever way they want to defend it.

But above all, it is misleading on their part and as some analysts would like us to believe, to suggest that the matter does not involve the ANC, that it is solely Ramaphosa’s problem.

It is a very sad day for the ANC, no doubt.

Or, must we say a difficult year for the organisation! The 114th birthday did not go that well; the Sharpeville Massacre (or, as they wish to call it nowadays, Human Rights Day) commemoration, was as if Ramaphosa was talking to his associates in attendance; and the Workers Day celebration saw only thirty eight people who came to listen to him.

But what somehow puts nails of the coffin of the ANC — albeit only moribund! — is the determined statement of the Communist Party allies who will be campaigning for elections for themselves.

Finally, they have come to their senses, that they can now see that capitalists and communists are like oil and water.

The miracle they wanted to show us through the broad church exposing it as a congregation of liars and false prophets.

In that light, one asks a question as to which is a a better identity to attach to such politicians — are they ‘idiots’ as Socrates is said to have referred to them, or stupid fools could suit them, maybe? I suppose it will fit whichever one prefers to apply.

We will wait to see if the confidence displayed by the ANC’s Secretary General, Fikile Mbalula, will translate into reality in the next local government.

It does not seem to resonate with what the masses are saying on radio.

The party’s track record is pathetic, if not hopeless.

The same song we have been listening to for the past thirty two years has lyrics defying the observed reality.

The lesson taught is that thievery, proxility, pomposity and arrogance are obstacles to development.

We cannot ask who is responsible for the bankruptcy of Johannesburg.

We know who is to blame for the state of the county.

You cannot be a leader for people you have no respect and compassion for.

Such sentiments are there on the streets, in the homes, in the media, in the very parliament that the ANC has always defied!

Somebody must account for all that.

We are encouraged that finally the process of accounting is underway.

It will be interesting to hear the president’s testimony.

I wish the process of testifying could take the form of what was happening in cemetery (Egypt).

According to the late Egyptologist Professor Yosef Ben Yochanan, the words testifying and testimony come from the root word testes.

In those he says, a man appearing before the court was required to swear holding his testes (well, he says nothing about women!) Any man found guilty lost his testes.

Hectic, but that was justice, and so we got testimony and testify!

Who knows, if we had a different constitution, one in line with what Kemetians had, we could be having a different but working society.

I suppose Ma’at and its 42 Negative Confessions worked well for them. Based on such moral principles we could have a responsible government and society, dealing with minimal numbers of corrupt individuals, thieves, and charlatans.

Such characters have brought shame to the ANC.

I don’t hear them referring to themselves the “broad church” as often as before.

All we see now is a political party that is fizzling away like a dying religion.

All that is left of the ANC is a party in denial.

They should have sensed that the Jesus they are waiting for is not going to make it anytime soon when their prophet crossed the Mfolozi.

Or, at least add more years to the 2000 years of the promise of his coming.

Indeed, even the arrogant can be gullible!

The path to renewal has been susch a hard one.

I am trying to understand if they would still continue with that desire.

Would they still continue with the national democratic programme? What about the rest of the projects they promised for the development of this territory and advancement of its people? Who could them if Ramaphosa is napped for his wayward behaviour? Who from that ilk can be trusted, after all they have lied to their “our people”

Somehow one wonders whether when people celebrate there it is for the four decades of the constitution, or that their desire for the fall of the ANC is becoming a reality.