People's Democracy

ANC Victorious In South Africa

R Arun Kumar

THE African National Congress has once again emerged victorious in the general elections held in post-apartheid South Africa. Though the victory of the ANC was a foregone conclusion, these elections were keenly watched. For the record, ANC won 65.90 per cent of the votes and fell a trifle short of the �coveted figure� of securing two-thirds majority. Its nearest rival, the Democratic Alliance secured 16.66 per cent of the votes, while the splinter group that broke away from the ANC and christened as Congress of the People (COPE) could garner only 7.42 per cent of the votes. People of South Africa were not surprised at these results but it is the media that was not only surprised but also deeply disappointed. It was left licking its wounds because of the virulent anti-Zuma campaign that it had run prior to the elections.

Media, true to its class nature, systematically tried to assassinate the character of Jacob Zuma, the president of ANC. It tried to rake up various cases foisted upon Zuma-in spite of his acquittal and knowledge that they are politically motivated. They desperately tried to wean away people from voting for ANC. With their �Stop Zuma� campaign, they had converted these elections into a single point agenda in spite of the presence of many issues like fighting recession, poverty, street crime, AIDS, etc. More than their love for honesty and transparency, media is more concerned about the ideas that Zuma is perceived to represent. Zuma is characterised as a representative of the Left in the ANC and against the big bourgeoisie.

Immediately after the victory of Jacob Zuma as the president of ANC in its 52nd National Congress in Polokwane, media had started harping that this represented the communist take-over of the ANC. The defeat of Thabo Mbeki in those elections and his subsequent recall from presidency of the country did not go off well with sections of the bourgeoisie and the media. Those elements in the ANC that stood for the interests of the capitalist classes and neo-liberal policies defied the mandate of the Polokwane Congress and engineered a split in the organisation. It is they who had subsequently formed the political party COPE. The propertied classes in South Africa saw in this party a natural ally and rooted for it in these elections. They had banked on it as a force to weaken and ultimately defeat the ANC. They had mobilised all the instruments at their disposal for achieving this aim, but failed in their mission as the election results prove.

The opponents of ANC are projecting the victory of ANC as its defeat by pointing that it had failed to secure two-thirds majority. This they argue is required to amend the constitution. Weirdly, they are projecting it as their victory. They were afraid that Zuma once elected would amend the property clause in the constitution. They claim to have stopped Zuma from amending the constitution detrimental to their class interests. But the fact is, Zuma all along the campaign and even in the victory speech had explicitly stated �the constitution is not under threat from the ANC�.

The decisive victory of ANC was possible because large numbers of workers and poor had voted overwhelmingly for the party. Many among the working class and the poor still believe in the ANC led alliance to deliver for them though they are angry at the lack of decisive intervention and speed of delivery. They had elected Zuma because he had promised to precisely address this concern.

The alliance partners-SACP and COSATU-have already realised and warned ANC that they do not have the luxury of time by their side and these promises have to be acted upon fast. They have urged the new administration that is going to take oath on May 6, 2009 to initiate measures for the speedy implementation of land reforms and change the condition of millions of farm hands who are languishing under the repressive farm owners. They also want a change affected in the present casualisation of work force and in the slave like working conditions. They urge the government to act fast in providing decent jobs, houses, water, sanitation and health facilities for all. To this they have called upon all the mobilising units formed during the elections to continue their work and transform themselves into street committees to fight crime and corruption, people�s health committees to ensure quality healthcare for all, education committees to eradicate illiteracy, land committees to ensure the implementation of land reform, food security and fight hunger. It is through this community participation that they want to exert pressure on the government and ensure that it does not lose its way.

Millions have voted in the hope that Zuma presidency would usher the promised �better life for all�. On April 27, 2009 South Africa celebrated its 15th freedom day. The overwhelming feeling among the people is that though there are many achievements to be proud of in these fifteen years, lot more needs to be done. The first decade of liberation was lost to the implementation of disastrous neo-liberal policies, benefited capital and created a class of �black capitalists� or sarcastically called as �comrade capitalists�. They want the second decade of the liberation of which five years have already passed, to benefit the interests of the working class and the poor and become the decade of �workers and poor�.