Marion Edmunds and Enoch Mthembu
THE African National Congress returns to=20 Parliament next week with plans to=20 neutralise its opponents by co-opting=20 strong opposition voices into the Cabinet=20 or government.
This strategy was endorsed at the ANC’s=20 recent mid-term lekgotla, amid concerns=20 about the party’s failure to answer critics=20 on shortcomings in delivery since it took=20 power.=20
ANC insiders say the party fears that=20 scalding criticism meted out by the Inkatha=20 Freedom Party, the Democratic Party, and=20 the Pan African Congress – particularly=20 about the failure of the Reconstruction and=20 Development Programme – will lose the ANC=20 crucial votes.=20
Such lost votes could be picked up by the=20 National Party, which is posing as the=20 chief opposition party and is trying to=20 shape a new opposition alliance to attract=20 the bulk of anti-ANC votes.=20
Already the DP and the PAC have indicated=20 their interest in moving closer to=20 executive decision-making.
DP leader Tony Leon said this week that a=20 firm offer from President Nelson Mandela=20 would have to be on the table by March 1,=20 the date of the DP’s federal executive=20 meeting. He emphasised that any agreement=20 with Mandela would not neutralise his party=20 as an opposition force.
The NP is battling to raise the opposition=20 banner after a disastrous two years as a=20 junior partner in the Cabinet of national=20 unity.=20
The Mail & Guardian has also been told that=20 the ANC has been discussing offering IFP=20 leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi a promotion -=20 to second deputy president, the post which=20 constitutionally belongs to the NP. The=20 offer would be an effort to flatter=20 Buthelezi’s political ego, and split his=20 support base. It would also be an element=20 of the amnesty peace package which is being=20 pieced together by IFP and ANC leaders in=20 KwaZulu-Natal.=20
Senior IFP and ANC members in the province=20 have rejected the rumour “with contempt”=20 and called it “outlandish” and=20 “ridiculous”. Mandela has not met Buthelezi=20 to discuss it.
Offers of Cabinet posts to the opposition -=20 although the negotiations are not=20 necessarily limited to Cabinet posts – have=20 caused a ripple of insecurity and=20 speculation amongst senior ANC members.=20
Deputy Minister of Defence Ronnie Kasrils=20 stressed this week that Minister Joe Modise=20 was in excellent health, despite rumours=20 last year that he was suffering from colon=20 cancer.
“I have never seen him fitter. He was=20 diagnosed as having an ulcer and in fact he=20 was operated on last year and it turned out=20 to be only a growth which was removed. He=20 is very, very well,” said Kasrils.
Questions remain over the fate of Minister=20 of Finance Trevor Manuel, although it is=20 possible that he could be moved after he=20 presents his budget in Parliament. Another=20 name circulating as a potential new foreign=20 affairs minister is Jerry Matsile, South=20 Africa’s ambassador to India, who is=20 respected in international diplomatic=20 circles.
The ANC also has plans to co-opt another=20 opposition wing – the traditional leaders.=20 A National Council of Traditional Leaders=20 is to be set up in Cape Town on April 18,=20 despite the fact that there is no=20 constitutional basis for its creation.=20
The party is also planning to redeploy=20 senior ANC MPs to the provinces and to=20 Shell House, in a bid to widen its support=20 at grass-roots level. Labour Minister Tito=20 Mboweni now heads Shell House’s policy=20 unit, but he is not at this point expected=20 to relinquish his Cabinet post.