The newly unveiled Congress of the People looks set to be the ANC’s nemesis, writes Bill Corcoran in Cape Town
AFTER THREE months of behind-the-scenes negotiations and cross-country canvassing, South Africa’s newest political party, the Congress of the People (Cope), will finally be unveiled at its inaugural conference today in Bloemfontain.
Born out of former South African president Thabo Mbeki’s political demise in September, when he was unceremoniously sacked by the African National Congress’s (ANC) leadership, the new political formation has come a long way in a short time.
Its genesis began with the disenchantment of some ANC members over the manner in which Mr Mbeki was removed, but few could have predicted the fledgling party would record its first electoral victories before the end of the year.
Yet that is what transpired last Thursday after the Western Cape’s provincial byelections, when Cope won 10 of the 27 seats previously held by ANC members who vacated their positions to join the breakaway movement.
Buoyed by their victory, it is not surprising senior party members like Philip Dexter, a former ANC member who switched to Cope last month, are confident about taking on the ruling party in next year’s general election.
“We were not surprised we achieved it [election victory], as we always knew the support base for an alternative to the ANC with different values was out there,” he told The Irish Times.
“Our job now is to turn the support base for change into votes for our party by the time next year’s general election comes around. It will be difficult, but we are confident we can make our mark on the political landscape.”
Indeed, if paid-up membership is any indication of a party’s popularity, then Cope is off to a flying start, and its ranks continue to swell from defections from the ANC and other political parties. The party revealed recently it had registered more than 428,000 paid-up members since early November. In comparison, the ANC has in the region of 600,000 paid-up members.
At the heart of their drive to take on the ANC is a belief the former liberation movement has veered away from founding principles, such as inclusiveness and equality, under the current leadership.
The ANC’s detractors say that, under Jacob Zuma, the ANC leadership alienates dissenting voices; has adopted populist policies to placate the masses; and has set in motion a system of patronage to reward loyal supporters that is destroying the public sector and service delivery.
In turn, the ANC has dismissed Cope’s founding fathers as disgruntled Thabo Mbeki supporters who have lost their positions of privilege in the ruling party following their leader’s political demise, which began 12 months ago when he lost the ANC presidency to Zuma.
Cope’s interim general secretary, Charlotte Lobe, a former ANC executive committee member and Free State premier, explained she left the party because it had become arrogant and would not listen to views different to the leadership’s.
“When I was in the ANC, I was angry with how they treated others. I felt helpless and received no support when things went wrong, as I was not seen as a Zuma loyalist.
“I wanted to be part of a new breath, and with Cope it is different – we are all pulling together. We have a chance to build an inclusive party for the first time in South Africa. We have come together purely with the desire to drive South Africa to greater heights,” she said.
The formation of an official leadership team and election policies to take on next year’s general election campaign trial will be high on the agenda in Bloemfontain.
While nothing is yet cast in stone, the policy discussions will range from crime and education to whether electoral and constitutional reform is needed to ensure every voice in South Africa’s diverse society is heard.
Another central issue the party will discuss is whether government should adopt a two-tier system of governance instead of the current three tiers – national, provincial and local – as a means to enhance service delivery.
“We believe there is a terrible decline in the quality of service delivery – and tackling the causes of this, which includes maximising resources, will be central to improving the lives of our poorest citizens,” said Mr Dexter.
But could Cope pose a realistic threat to the ANC, which holds an absolute (69 per cent) majority in parliament, in next year’s general election? According South African Institute of International Affairs political analyst Malsetse Mbeki, if it can even take a small percentage of the vote it could completely alter South Africa’s political landscape.
“The ANC has a serious fight on its hands to retain its two-thirds majority. It would be a major achievement but, if Cope can take even 5 per cent of the vote, it would have widespread consequences.
“If the opposition parties can retain their vote and Cope would be agreeable to a coalition, they would break the ANC’s absolute majority in parliament, which allows them push through whatever laws they see fit at the moment,” he says.
Malsetse Mbeki also believes that, contrary to popular belief, Cope could well win a significant number of votes in the country’s townships and informal settlements, which have been traditional ANC strongholds.
“Many of Cope’s senior members are made up of people who fought apartheid from inside the country while the current ANC leadership consists of those who fought the regime in exile. The former group has a much more sophisticated understanding of South Africa, and their early policies and perspectives reflect that,” he said.
“Some say they will find it difficult to win the poor vote because they are associated with black professionals, but if you look at the recent byelections, the wards in which they were successful were made up of areas.”