Vuyo Mvoko
CLARENCE MAKWETU, re-elected president of the Pan Africanist Congress, has always drawn criticism from other parties, but none has been as harsh as the criticism he got from his own party during its congress last weekend.
Although wary of inflicting more wounds on their party, delegates made no secret of their dissatisfaction. Fumed one newly elected member of the national exective committee (NEC) who works closely with Makwetu at the party’s Johannesburg head office: “This is ridiculous, nobody will ever take the party seriously. Can’t comrades see that he has nothing to offer?”
Added an MP who requested anonymity: “He always behaves like a chief and treats us as his subjects. He seldom consults.” The sentiment was shared by Transvaal PAC leader Nsundeni Madzunya, who said “the PAC needs an open, articulate and intelligent man. That man is (Motsoko) Pheko.”
Pheko, Makwetu’s chief rival, is a law academic, a prolific writer on Pan Africanism and a former representative of the PAC in the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
According to PAC MP Patricia de Lille, Pheko is popular among the PAC youth, most of whom have read his writings though they have never met him in person.
Pheko, who lost to Makwetu by nine marginal points, only arrived on the penultimate day of the four-day congress that was held in Mmabatho.
PAC chief economist Sipho Shabalala, in a message supporting Pheko that was circulated among congress delegates last Friday, wrote: “For the PAC to have the support of the African people and at least from other communities, a new leader is needed. Makwetu can only lead the PAC to total disaster. The evidence is there for everyone to see.”
Shabalala added that Dikgang Moseneke, former deputy president of the PAC and deputy chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, had also agreed to serve the organisation — but only on condition that Pheko, and not Makwetu, would be elected president.
In a statement that was sent to the Weekly Mail & Guardian before the start of the congress, PAC veteran Gilbert Sineke, who called himself the “representative of the co-ordinating committee for the PAC new leadership”, said Pheko had “accepted an invitation from PAC representatives throughout the country to come back home and lead the organisation before the 1995 local government elections”.
Sensitive to the turbulent sentiments of many delegates, oratorical former general secretary and MP !Khoisan X took the stage before Makwetu’s trivial acceptance speech which marked the end of the congress.
!Khoisan X said the congress was faced with a challenge to elect a leadership that was completely new in politics. But the congress decided, he said, that it was “better to elect a leadership and president who are already in politics who have a history of involvement in the struggle”.
“A question will arise about comrade Makwetu himself, as to what are the prospects of the PAC doing better in the next election when we have the same president who led us when we got just over one percent.”
Pheko was elected PAC deputy president, trouncing Johnson Mlambo who previously held the position. Mlambo was elected as one of the 18 additional members who will be departmental heads or additional members of the NEC.
Former national organiser Maxwell Nemad-zivhanane was elected general secretary, a position vacated by !Khoisan X, who requested not to be elected to any of the top six positions because of his parliamentary commitments.