A veteran leader of South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) has resigned over what he called “endemic corruption” in the party.
Mavuso Msimang, the deputy president of the ANC Veterans League, criticized the party in a three-page letter of resignation that listed its failures, resulting in soaring unemployment, widespread crime, and the collapse of the state power and logistics companies.
Msimang, who served as a senior official in the administrations of former presidents Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki, said he could no longer be associated with a party that had “lost its moral compass” and “betrayed the trust of the people”.
He accused the ANC of being “captured by a network of corrupt individuals” who had “plundered the state resources” and “undermined the rule of law”.
He also lamented the party’s inability to renew itself and hold its leaders accountable, saying it had become “a haven for opportunists, careerists, and charlatans”.
Msimang’s resignation comes amid growing discontent within the ANC over the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has faced resistance from some factions within the party to his efforts to tackle corruption and reform the economy.
Ramaphosa, who took over from Jacob Zuma in 2018, has vowed to clean up the party and the state but has been hampered by internal divisions and legal challenges.
The ANC, which has ruled South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994, has seen its popularity decline in recent years due to its poor governance and service delivery.
In the last municipal elections in 2016, the party lost control of several key cities, including Johannesburg and Pretoria, to the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA).
The party is facing a tough test in the next local elections, which are scheduled for October 2024, as it faces competition from the DA, the radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and other smaller parties.
Msimang’s resignation has been welcomed by some of the ANC’s critics, who have praised him for his courage and integrity.
The DA said Msimang’s letter was “a damning indictment of the ANC’s moral decay and institutional collapse”.
The EFF said Msimang’s resignation showed that “the ANC is beyond redemption and cannot be reformed from within”.
However, some of the ANC’s allies have expressed regret over Msimang’s decision, saying he should have stayed and fought for change within the party.
The South African Communist Party (SACP) said Msimang’s resignation was “a loss for the ANC and the broader liberation movement”.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) said Msimang’s resignation was “unfortunate and premature”, and urged him to reconsider.
Msimang, who is 80 years old, said he would remain loyal to the ideals of the ANC and the struggle for a democratic and prosperous South Africa.
He said he hoped his resignation would serve as “a wake-up call” for the ANC and the country to “restore the values and principles that guided our liberation struggle”.
He also expressed his hope that “a new generation of leaders will emerge to take our country forward”.
Source: Bloomberg
