NATASHA MARRIAN: ANC at a new low ‘must adapt or die’
The party considers a more open and transparent process of leadership contests
The ANC is mulling over a more open and transparent process of leadership contests, admitting that the state of the party is at a new low and it is now a matter of "adapt or die". Open contestation was often muffled ahead of an elective conference, with candidates for key posts unable to raise their hands and openly make themselves available for positions. This was based on tradition rooted in a 2001 leadership document called Through the Eye of the Needle, which does not explicitly prohibit campaigning for oneself but says historically the practice has been viewed as "being in bad revolutionary taste". The ANC’s stance toward the leadership race has resulted in the battle being controlled by monied power brokers and fought in dark corners. The admission also came as the ANC was facing the prospect of yet another divisive leadership battle, with Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and former AU Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma already publicly endorsed for the post. Accordi...
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