A CONFIDENTIAL briefing document sent to African National Congress organisers warns that sacked deputy minister Bantu Holomisa intends mobilising support against the decision to expel him and suggests urgent action to “neutralise” his campaign.
And it emerged this week that senior ANC members tried to warn President Nelson Mandela that his decision to axe the former Transkei military leader could have damaging repercussions for the organisation.
Mandela, angered by Holomisa’s refusal to heed his appeal that he apologise, went ahead. The organisation is now counting the cost.
The briefing document says Holomisa is using his previous status as Transkei leader “as a tool to confuse membership on the ground” and that he is “presently holding meetings in the informal settlements in the Western Cape”.
It suggests a “clear and common approach” towards disseminating information about the case against Holomisa, and the disciplinary committee’s ruling be structured within ANC structures, “including the alliance and MDM [Mass Democratic Movement] formations”.
Urging that “we act fast and decisively to neutralise the campaign of the comrade”, the document says Holomisa’s “target areas” should be identified and structures there be “mobilised and informed” as part of an attempt to isolate his campaign as far as possible.
Structures or comrades “feeding into the campaign” should also be identified and disciplined: this week, the ANC’s Thokoza branch suspended its deputy secretary for organising a rally addressed by Holomisa soon after his expulsion.
The document suggests “a single position” on Holomisa be taken to grassroots level and that the emphasis shift only where applicable, to cater for regional or provincial dynamics. Provinces, regions and branches should “be prepared to deal with these issues if requested by our membership”.
This week the Gauteng region of the ANC called a meeting of the chairpersons and secretaries of its branches and those of its alliance partners, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party (SACP), as well as the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco). The meeting reportedly concluded that Holomisa was “not welcome” in the organisation.
Concern in ANC leadership circles over the way the affair has been managed focuses not so much on the possibility of Holomisa leading ANC members into a breakaway party (he is credited with being a better soldier than politician), but on the damage the continuing saga is inflicting on the organisation itself.
Some ANC MPs blame the media for repeating Holomisa’s allegations and innuendo without checking their veracity — and for conveying the impression that Holomisa was being punished for speaking out against corruption.
But the media can hardly be blamed for not ignoring such spectacles as Holomisa (a “sewer rat”) and Gauteng premier Tokyo Sexwale (an “opportunist”) slugging it out in a no-holds-barred slanging match.
Many ANC MPs feel that the lack of a considered approach in dealing with the matter has led to a mountain being made out of what could have remained a molehill.
“It started with allegations he made about [public enterprises minister] Stella Sigcau at the truth commission and now it’s a huge internal fight in the ANC,” said one source this week.
“Serious damage has been done to the ANC at the grassroots level in terms of the legitimacy of ANC leadership, which has been brought into question.”
As the ANC leapt into damage-control mode — with Sexwale receiving orders from on high to restrain himself — a defiant Holomisa took his seat in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
He hopes to retain it by launching a court action against the ANC’s decision to expel him, when (there is no longer a question of if) it is ratified by the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC).
“The sooner they rubber-stamp the thing the better, and I can deal with it in a court of law which will be neutral. I think I have a strong case,” Holomisa said.
Senior ANC leaders were this week impatient for the disciplinary committee’s decision to be ratified by the NEC, believing it would lay the matter to rest. It has been delayed due to “logistical problems”, but will now take place on September 28.
Part of the ANC’s problem lies with its decision to refrain from engaging Holomisa in the media — the arena he says he chose to prosecute his fight after ANC secretary general Cyril Ramaphosa first told the press he would be disciplined before informing him personally.
Because the NEC serves as the appeal body, the ANC leadership could not easily counter Holomisa’s claims without running the risk of prejudicing the appeal.
“It has been difficlt for NEC members to express their opinion for fear of prejudging the case. We wanted it so that at the end of the day, whatever the decision, he’s been treated fairly,” a source said.
“Going to the people to explain to them is quite difficult now, given that the matter is sub judice. People have the misunderstanding that we acted against him because he went to the truth commission.”
Perceptions on the ground, in the Western Cape at least, reflect alienation from the party’s power structures, creating a vacuum readily filled by explanations as plausible as they are improbable.
An example of these explanations is that Holomisa’s axing is part of a purge launched by deputy president Thabo Mbeki to ease his path to the presidency.
But people’s concerns are real and do not appear so far to have been adequately addressed — partly because of the weakened state of the organisation.
“We mandated people and they used to come back for fresh mandates. Now nothing filters down. Only the leadership knows,” a Guguletu branch member said.
“We the oppressed are on Holomisa’s side. If the NEC does not overrule the decision we will protest, we will go to the ANC offices. We feel it is Stalinism and that we can’t tolerate.”
Holomisa, who has nothing to lose, is going for broke. The ANC finds itself entangled in an altogether more complex equation, with much more at stake.