Ramaphosa needs grit to midwife ANC rebirth
Like Mahabane 80 years before, the new leader faces upheaval as he tries to steer the party into a new era, writes Zamani Saul
When the Rev ZR Mahabane was elected ANC president in 1937, he took over from Pixley ka Isaka Seme, whose leadership antics had completely paralysed the organisation and robbed it of its strategic vision. In the 106 years of its existence, no ANC president inherited the organisation in a worse state than Mahabane. How he dealt with it will provide beneficial lessons to newly elected ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa. When Seme was elected in 1930, the ANC was in its formative stages, having been launched 18 years earlier. He had an erratic leadership style and struggled to consolidate the party’s ideological outlook. Historian Peter Limb suggests that from 1930 to 1937, Seme almost sank the ANC ship. Mahabane spearheaded the arduous task of rebuilding the organisation almost from scratch. He inherited an ANC with structures that were dysfunctional, provinces that were not properly co-ordinated and deep-seated ideological degeneration to the extent that the vision and character of the organ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.