PATRONAGE POLITICS:
STEVEN FRIEDMAN: ANC ventures on to shaky ground of rural state capture
Rural people have shown over the past few years that they don’t take abuse lying down. Could they become the new ANC’s most troublesome opposition?
Are the people living in former Bantustans set to become the real losers as the ANC changes? The pattern that began last week has become far clearer. President Jacob Zuma may use negotiations with the ANC top six to prolong his stay in office for a while, but he knows he is on his way out — he reportedly told supporters on the ANC national executive not to resist his removal. One reason may be that they were reduced to a rump who know they have no political future without him. So a leadership with only a small Cyril Ramaphosa majority is now largely happy to see Zuma’s back.Evidence grows that the Zuma era is over: the most recent and dramatic was the new Eskom board. Yes, the utility’s financial crisis was a tipping point, but Zuma would have found a way to kick the can down the road for a while if he was still in charge. So despite that small majority, ANC leaders are happy to push through commissions on state capture, support using the law against its alleged perpetrators, and of...
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