In a scathing letter of resignation, African National Congress (ANC) cadre Mavuso Msimang cut ties with the party after 60 years of membership, citing rampant corruption as his reason for leaving.
The letter was directed to ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula. Msimang had been serving as deputy president of the ANC Veterans League (ANCVL).
Pointing fingers
A large portion of Msimang’s letter was directed at what many consider the root of the country’s problems – corruption at the highest echelons of government.
“Of course, the ANC did not invent corruption,” says Msimang. “We inherited a state that was morally bankrupt and that was built on the most profound forms of corruption,” referring to the rule of the Afrikaner National Party under the apartheid regime.
But, he says, that the ruling ANC party did nothing to change it. “Three decades later, the ANC’s track record of corruption is a cause of great shame. The corruption we once decried is now part of our movement’s DNA.”
Feigned ignorance
The ANC, headed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, has faced allegations of corruption for decades but has remained in power regardless. This is despite conditions for people in South Africa deteriorating.
While the impact of a new generation of voters cannot be underestimated, the failure of the current government to provide a decent quality of life at a local level is a large factor in its waning support.
“You do not need to dig too deeply to discover that most of the country’s failures are linked to corruption somewhere in the system…This is happening on the watch of the ANC government,” he writes, adding that “the deployment of unsuitable people accounts for the government’s deplorable levels of service to the public”.
Msimang referenced the recent polls, which showed that the ANC would not break the 50% threshold it needed to stay in government, saying, the party is “on the verge of losing power”.
Down but not out
The timing of Msimang’s resignation aligned with the start of a new political movement in the country launched on Sunday called Change Starts Now.
The movement is headed by businessman Roger Jardine who assembled a star-studded crew, including Helen Suzman Foundation executive director Nicole Fritz, who will serve as lead political counsel.
While it is reported that Msimang will not be joining Change Starts Now, he said he will not be leaving politics entirely.
“Even as I painfully sever ties with my once glorious organisation, I shall continue to keep vigil over matters of governance in the country,” he said.
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