To secure votes exceeding 50% in the next general election, a feat that seems improbable based on current opinion polls, the African National Congress (ANC) must devise a compelling strategy. It would not be surprising if, later on, it is revealed that the ANC is behind the creation of a surrogate entity, resembling a confusingly similar organization, complete with an identical emblem and colours, named the Umkhonto We Sizwe Party (MK Party).
If, by some miracle, the MK Party manages to garner approximately 7% of the votes, the ANC would have successfully deceived the unsuspecting electorate into voting for it under the guise of the purportedly new party, rather than casting their ballots for the opposition. Should this scenario unfold, the ANC could potentially reclaim the votes acquired by the MK Party through a prearranged political coalition after the election.
This manoeuvre would allow the ANC to save face, avoiding the potential ignominy of losing power for the first time since 1994. Notably, the professed founder of the MK Party feigned ignorance of the ANC constitution, an organization of which he has been a member for some 63 years. For those unfamiliar, the ANC constitution considers it a dismissible offence for members to campaign or vote for other political parties.
The ultimate goal of this cunning plan, if successful, is to safeguard President Ramaphosa. If the ANC's total vote tally falls below 40%, and assuming the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) secure 11% of the votes, the Julius Malema-led party is likely to make it a precondition in coalition negotiations with the ANC that President Ramaphosa be sacrificed in favour of Paul Mashatile as their preferred candidate for the presidency, with Malema as his deputy.
For those who followed my writing before my hiatus in June 2023, I penned an article about the potential rise of Paul Xiphokosa Mashatile as the biggest winner of the ANC National Conference held at Nasrec. It seems written in the stars. Amid this performative art, a central character is President Zuma, who once proclaimed during his triumphant hour that the "ANC will rule until Jesus comes back." Despite this, and contrary to expectations, President Zuma remains a member of the ANC seemingly in 'good standing.'
Given past experiences, President Zuma should have faced charges and had his party membership suspended pending a disciplinary committee hearing for contravening the constitution and bringing the party into disrepute. However, the ANC opted for the easier route out of the predicament, asserting through the Secretary and Chairperson that President Zuma voluntarily left the party of his own accord.
This narrative carries the hallmarks of a captivating political drama, with KwaZulu-Natal as the theatre and President Zuma playing the dual role of the villain and the political messiah, saving the ANC from the brink of political obscurity by creating a fictional political character called the MK Party. Coming soon to a cinema near you...
