Cape Town - The ANC’s dilly-dallying around the various reports into the Phala Phala scandal will only make things worse for the party that has proven it was ill-prepared to deal with the fallout.
Instead, those among the governing party saw Mbeki as being critical of incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa without examining and taking into account his suggestions.
In fact, to say the ANC was ill-prepared to deal with the outcomes of these investigations is an understatement. You just have to look at how it continues to circle around the issue, even with reports produced by party structures.
The matter was first referred to its integrity committee. That structure then reported back to the national executive committee (NEC), which referred the report to the 55th elective conference at the weekend.
There was no word on what happened. Instead it has apparently decided not to get into details of that report, and will ask the incoming NEC to deal with it.
Judging by this indecisive approach, it would appear that the ANC is not in a rush to have this matter put to bed.
Whatever the Constitutional Court decides, insofar as Ramaphosa’s challenge of the Section 89 report is concerned, the ANC is only digging itself a deep and dark hole by seemingly brushing the matter off.
It certainly will not go away. That the Section 89 panel of experts has already found that the president has a case to answer and that he may have committed serious violations of the Constitution, should have been enough for the party to resolve the matter with urgency.
It is racing against time to save its image before the defining 2024 national elections.
The ANC certainly goes to that election on the backfoot as opposition parties will make Ramaphosa’s term a “living hell” over the farmgate scandal.
Whether South Africans will give it another chance or not is a debate for another day.
But early indications suggest that many cannot take it any more.
Cape Times