THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS AFTER FORTY YEARS IN POWER-A VIEW FROM LIBERIA By TiawanSaye Gongloe

South Africa’s history is one of the most powerful narratives of liberation, resistance, and victory over oppression. The African National Congress (ANC), a beacon of hope for millions during the dark days of apartheid, has long been the emblem of freedom and justice, not only for all South Africans, but all Africans and people of African descent. There were various organizations in Africa and around the world that demonstrated high-level of solidarity with the struggling people of South Africa. The Movement for Justice in Africa (MOJA), for example was very active in raising the consciousness of the Liberian people about the dehumanizing nature of the Apartheid government of South Africa. African Governments and the Organization of African Unity (OAU) stood firmly behind the ANC. Liberian government, beginning with the Tubman regime to the Tolbert regime accommodated leaders of the two leading South African movements against Apartheid, the ANC and the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). Nelson Mandela of the ANC came to Liberia in 1962 and received support from the Government of Liberia. A leading member of the PAC, VohzeMacay lived in Monrovia in the 1970s and taught political science at the University of Liberia. Mariam Makeba , the famous revolutionary singer, Zenzile Miriam Makeba, and Jazz Musician, Hugh Masekela, and other South African exiles, lived in Liberia in the 1970s. The famous Young South African student leader, ShesheMashini who led the Soweto Uprising against the compulsory teaching of Afrikaans in all schools in South Africa married a Liberian woman, Welma Campbell, then Miss Liberia and lived in Liberia for while. Additionally, President William R. Tolbert established a liberation fund for the support of the liberation struggle in South Africa. Nigeria, for example provided ANC millions of United States Dollars for the liberation struggle. Frontline states in Southern Africa made tremendous sacrifices in providing training bases for ANC fighters and because that became a constant target of bombing raids by the racist South African Defense Force of the National Party. All of these efforts by the people of Africa were stimulated by the expectation that a liberated South Africa would give equal access to the wealth and opportunities of South for all South Africans irrespective of race, religion, sex or other identities. This expectation was strengthened by the declaration in 1994, that the first post-apartheid election was for the purpose of creating a non-racist, non-sexist, non-religious democratic South Africa. The land issue was a major issue that motivated a lot of young South Africans to support the ANC to come to power. In 1994, Heide, a young female member of the ANC, who was always at ANC’s Hanky Patensi office, speaking to me and my UN colleagues said, “ I will do everything for the ANC to win because I strongly believe that Madeba will give back my father’s land that was taken away by a Boa, who is now enjoying the land, a situation that made my father to die in two years from frustration.” Forty years later the land issue remains unsolved, although the ANC has been in control of political power since 1994. Because the expectation of the majority of the South African people that life in South Africa would change for the better, ANC won the 1994 election with a landslide, attaining 67 percent of the total votes cast and the world was happy.  Contrary to the expectation that a majority of the people of South Africa harbored in 1994, the ANC of today is dangerously straying away from its roots, and the actions of some of its current leaders are not only eroding the party’s credibility, but also opening the door for a potential power shift back into the hands of those who represent the regressive past. The gap between rich black South Africans and poor blacks is getting wider and wider everyday.  Yet, it is an indisputable fact that for years, the ANC stood tall as the movement that brought down the brutal system of apartheid. Leaders like Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Govan Mbeki, Wennie Mandela, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, young Steve Biko, amongst others envisioned a South Africa where every citizen, regardless of race, enjoyed equality, dignity, and prosperity. Sadly, recent ANC leadership has not only failed to live up to this legacy, but has also veered into the murky waters of corruption, threatening to undo decades of progress. Mandela kept the hope of the South African people alive by his self-lessness and his people oriented leadership as shown by the fact that after one term in power, he stepped aside although he was still popular and strong. Jacob Zuma’s presidency will be remembered as one marred by scandal after scandal. His administration became synonymous with “state capture,” a term that reflects how public resources were diverted to enrich a few, most notoriously through the corrupt dealings of the Gupta family. Zuma’s leadership deeply damaged the ANC’s image, alienating many of its staunch supporters, particularly among black South Africans, who had placed their trust in the party to deliver on the promises of economic equality and social justice. Zuma’s record as President was a disappointing turn of events because he was revered in 1994, as a hero of the liberation struggle, being a veteran of UmkomtoWasizewe. But even with Zuma gone, the corruption that plagued his administration continues under his successor, Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa, once seen as a reformer, has found himself entangled in controversy, particularly with the recent “PhalaPhala” scandal. While he has sought to position himself as a figure of integrity, his failure to fully root out corruption within his administration casts doubt on his commitment to meaningful change. The continued disillusionment of the South African people with the ANC under Ramaphosa is huge. For many, it feels as if the party of liberation has become a party of enrichment for a few at the expense of the majority.  In 1994, Ramaphosa was the young progressive lawyer and secretary general of the Congress of South African Trade Union (COSATU) who lead the ANC in the negotiation of the transition from Aparteid to a democratic South Africa. He was next to the late Chris Hani in the clarity of his view and commitment about the struggle of the oppressed people of South Africa. On the future of South Africa, Ramaphosa spoke so passionately and with clarity about a better South Africa at a campaign event in UtineckKwanabuleh, Eastern Cape in early 1994.Yet under his administration armless striking mine workers will shot at and killed by the South African Defense Force (SADF) in a manner similar to governance under the National Party, the party that introduced apartheid in South Africa. Oppression is oppression irrespective of the color of the oppressor.  Today, corruption under the ANC has led to the massive violation of human rights in South Africa. The poverty the corruption has brought to a majority of the South African people has turned them in angry. Not fully understanding the reason for the mass poverty among a majority of South Africans, some have even blamed Africans from other countries for their poverty, thereby making poor South Africans hateful of other Africans. This situation has created zenophobia, whereby black people from other parts of Africa are despised and made victims of violence promoted under the ANC.  The ANC, by turning a blind eye to corruption, is not just weakening its moral standing; it is also fostering a growing sentiment among South Africans that the party is no longer capable of leading the country toward a prosperous and just future. This opens the door for political alternatives, including those that may seek to return power to the conservative white South Africans who never fully embraced the ideals of a united and equitable South Africa, the rainboard nation that Mandela championed. Nelson RolihlahlaMadiba Mandela is definitely riggling in his grave. It is essential to recognize that corruption is not a victimless crime. Every rand stolen from the public purse is a rand taken from healthcare, education, infrastructure, and social programs that the poor and marginalized in South Africa desperately need. The ANC’s corruption weakens state institutions, increases inequality, and perpetuates the cycle of poverty that apartheid’s brutal system created. Worse, it betrays the very people who suffered the most under apartheid, people who looked to the ANC for deliverance from poverty and injustice. If the ANC does not act swiftly and decisively to restore integrity within its ranks, the party risks doing what was once unimaginable—handing power back to those who might prioritize private wealth over public good, possibly including elements nostalgic for the apartheid era. South Africans are losing patience, and the once unshakable support for the ANC is eroding. In recent years, we’ve seen this frustration reflected in the ballot box as the ANC’s electoral majority has shrunk.  The message from the South African electorates is clear: the ANC must change, or it will be replaced by the people of South Africa. But the party has a choice. It can either clean its house and return to its founding principles of justice, equality, and service to the people, or it can continue down the dangerous path of self-enrichment of a few and corruption. If the ANC does not act, the forces waiting in the wings may not only claim the mantle of power, but may also turn back the clock on the progress that has been made since 1994. And the people, whose dreams of a truly free South Africa remain unfulfilled, will once again be left behind. For the ANC to survive and thrive, its leadership must confront corruption head-on. The party must embrace transparency, accountability, and a renewed commitment to serving the people of South Africa. Without such a shift, the ANC’s days, as the dominant political force in South Africa, are numbered. The forward movement of South Africa is important for the rest of Africa, because South is like the foot of Africa. If the foot does not move forward, the body cannot move. The stakes could not be higher. If the ANC does not change course, it will be the party’s leaders themselves—not their political opponents—who deliver power back to a South Africa that is regressive and unjust. What is happening is worrison, because it has negative implications for all progressive movements and parties in Africa. It is a bad example that those who stand against progressive change can easily point to.  A word to the wise is sufficient!