Supporters, members and leaders of the ANC behave as if the governing party and those at its helm, in power since 1994, are not responsible for corruption, public service collapse and the breakdown of the rule of law.
It is almost as if party members see these matters, brought about under its watch, as having been created by another, invisible party.
ANC leaders do not take responsibility for their or the party’s wrongdoing, or the consequences of their decisions, actions and policies.
They cannot see that years of maintenance neglect, deployee-led incompetence and corruption have led to Eskom’s failure and the disintegration of infrastructure, public education, health and policing.
At the ANC’s national conference, taking place at Nasrec in Johannesburg until Tuesday, there appears to be little accountability from the party for the failures that have collapsed state-owned companies and public services, and led to high levels of crime.
Similarly, going into elections, ANC members and supporters vote for the party and its leaders as if they are not responsible for this. It is as if they are voting for an entirely different organisation.
It appears to be easier for ANC leaders to blame others for the consequences of their failures rather than to accept responsibility.
They and party members are often overly defensive about the wrongdoing of those at the helm, projecting blame back to or attacking critics who point out their failures.
Because many of the party's leaders and members cannot see how the ANC is responsible for corruption, the collapse of public services and breakdown of the rule of law, they blame this on apartheid, white monopoly capital, western imperialists or foreign Africans.
As such, there is no impetus for them to change — to genuinely improve the performance of government, root out corrupt and incompetent leaders, and adopt better-quality policies.
Because many of the party's leaders and members cannot see how the ANC is responsible for corruption, the collapse of public services and breakdown of the rule of law, they blame this on apartheid, white monopoly capital, western imperialists or foreign Africans
Generally, when one does not accept responsibility for one’s actions, it is due to a lack of self-awareness, emotional immaturity and refusal to accept that one can learn to do better.
Alternatively, an individual could believe they are superior to others and therefore cannot do wrong.
They could also be embarrassed about wrongdoing and refuse to take responsibility to save face. Or an individual could feel entitled, thinking they can do as they please without consequences.
In other cases, not accepting responsibility could be due to self-doubt, insecurity and low self-esteem. It could have its source in trauma. Many individuals who have experienced such, whether at individual, community or collective level, could thereafter see themselves as victims. Because of this — even having been empowered — they don’t believe they can do wrong or, if they do, that critics should be soft on them.
Many of these reasons apply to ANC leaders and members.
Those at the party’s elective conference cannot fathom that it and its leaders are responsible for the country’s crisis. It is as if they have lost touch with reality.
This disconnect from the reality of the ANC’s failure means its members and voters don’t hold the party accountable. Yet doing so is crucial to stop corruption and restore service delivery and the rule of law.
The tragedy is that when the ANC loses power in 2024, which it will because its leaders and members cannot take responsibility for wrongdoing and therefore cannot self-correct, many of its members and leaders will still not accept that their party’s corruption, incompetence and poor policies landed them there. Many are likely to continue to blame apartheid, white monopoly capital and western imperialism for landing on opposition benches.
• Gumede is associate professor, School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand, and author of ‘Restless Nation: Making Sense of Troubled Times’ (Tafelberg)
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