ANC has lost the plot, says Phosa
Presidential candidate hits out at loss of intellectual engagement as he reiterates calls for Zuma to step down
The country needs a strong ANC but the party is now at its weakest, says presidential hopeful Mathews Phosa. A record number of candidates are contesting for the party presidency in December. However, the frontrunners remain national executive committee member Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, backed by President Jacob Zuma and his allies, and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, formally backed by Cosatu and the ANC’s Northern Cape branch. While Phosa’s presidential bid is unlikely to succeed, his insight into the state of the party as its former treasurer-general is instructive. On Wednesday, he said the ANC had lost its character of tolerance and its culture of debate. Its "intellectual engagement and intellectual elasticity" had been lost, he said. This was why criticism of Zuma was dealt with swiftly and harshly. "I am part of ‘let’s revive it’. I hear some are saying we are ready for a split after December conference, but that is my fear. "They feel, what is the point … [but] it can’t be t...
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