DANIEL SILKE: Land is the match that is igniting Zuma's populist fervour
'For the ANC, their best option in 2019 is to somehow re-capture the EFF’s 8% of the vote. This would restore the ANC majority to above 60% and keep the DA neatly at bay'
There is no doubt that the rhetoric coming from President Jacob Zuma since the beginning of the year has been more populist in tone. Whilst many observer would question whether this really does equate to any meaningful policy changes in a party locked in a factional and ideological straightjacket, the shift to the left on ‘radical economic transformation’, bank ownership and latterly – and most visibly - land expropriation without compensation - has distinct medium-term political undertones which should not be diminished. While this might well be Jacob Zuma’s swansong period, the ANC is now preparing itself not only for succession but also for its toughest battle yet – the 2019 national election. Given its poor result in 2017’s local polls, a divided party on ideology, policy and personality has few options to rally around. With the absence of a new leader – and only likely to be resolved in December – there is no guidance from a fresh personality at the helm. But, one thing the ANC...
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