Africa-Press – Namibia. FORMER prime minister and South West African People’s Organisation (Swapo) parliamentarian and steward Nahas Angula says the ruling African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa, as well as Swapo are losing relevance.
He told Desert Radio 95.3 FM on Friday that both the ANC and Swapo need to do introspection and self-correct to remain significant in the future. The ANC on Saturday celebrated 110 years of existence amid a damning report acting chief justice Raymond Zondo made available to president Cyril Ramamphosa last week.
The report implicated senior ANC members in state capture masterminded by the Gupta brothers, resulting in key stakeholders calling for those implicated to be prosecuted.
Angula says Swapo, which continues to experience a decrease in its traditional strongholds, face the same fate as the ANC due to the failure to attend to bread-and-butter issues.
“I would like to congratulate our brothers and comrades in the ANC for achieving 110 years of existence. The ANC is the oldest political party on the continent, but is losing their ground in terms of support…
“They are facing the same challenges as Swapo, where we are losing power because certain comrades are now using revolutionary parties as a means of survival and to enrich themselves,” Angula said.
While Swapo and the ANC share strong fraternal bonds both parties need to find ways to evolve and meet the expectations of the younger generation. “I think the ANC should take this opportunity to reassess and remind themselves of the social and political liberation of the people,” he said.
Angula’s sentiments were echoed by Erika Thomas, a political science lecturer at the University of Namibia, who said the ANC is currently irrelevant in South Africa, because the party does not speak to the needs of ordinary South African folk.
She said the party should respond to burning issues, such as unemployment, and appropriately connect with its voters. “People are not happy that there is no employment. The ANC is currently not appropriate for the current status of South Africans, looking at the local elections which they lost terribly.
“That’s an indication that the ANC has lost focus and is not following what the voters want,” she said. Thomas said young South Africans have lost trust in the ANC.
Speaking to Desert Radio 95.3 FM over the weekend, ANC Veternas League president Snuki Zikalala admitted all is not well with the party. He said the party is on a self-correcting path of renewal.
“As the ANC, we are well aware that our support is decreasing, and we have seen this in the previous elections where we lost ground, but we have what it takes to self-correct and introspect. The ANC remains relevant to the South African political sphere, and will find a way of mending missed opportunities,” he said.
Zikalala said the ANC’s future depends on generational consensus and young people should be given the chance to prove their mettle and lead the organisation.
“We have structures that are accommodating to young people, and of late the president is pushing a renewal agenda and is keen to deal with the findings of the Zondo commission in a satisfactory manner,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ramaphosa told the party faithful on Saturday the revolutionary party would mend the economy and renew itself to ascertain its position as a dominant player in South African politics.
For More News And Analysis About Namibia Follow Africa-Press
