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Hardly an hour after ANC Member of Parliament Makhosi Khoza had announced that she was quitting the party, the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal was claiming vindication, saying it proved that she was not a genuine ANC cadre.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal was the party structure that was out to discipline her.
It did not matter that the Pietermaritzburg High court had ruled that they (as provincial executive) were illegitimately constituted; they continued operating as if nothing had happened.
Even after the court ruling that the conference that appointed them was invalid, they announced that they would proceed with her disciplinary case.
At a time when there is ill discipline all-round in the party, from local, provincial and national members speaking out of turn or behaving in a manner that brought the party to disrepute, it was puzzling that Khoza was the only member facing a disciplinary committee.
But Khoza is not the first and will not be the last ANC member to leave the party because of its current state. The party is in deep trouble.
In her statement yesterday Khoza made it clear that she was tired of prevaricating and hoping that things will get better.
“I am told there is something called self-correction, and that this ANC ‘just needs to self-correct’.
“Comrades, that is nothing but holding on to the hopes of yesteryear. The new alien and corrupt ANC, dear friends, is incapable of self-correcting. The unprincipled, selfish, visionless leaders of this new alien and corrupt ANC are either lying to the country, or delusional, if they claim they could – or even aspire to – self-correct,” she implored.
This was in contrast to former ANC deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe, who also believes that the party is headed for a big fall, but is still prepared to vote for it.
Ironically Motlanthe is one of the senior members who have not held back in criticising the party’s leadership, particularly President Jacob Zuma.
Motlanthe has gone as far as saying that the current state of the party has to get worse before the party learns a lesson.
But if there is anyone in the ANC who believes that all is well within the organisation, then they are delusional.
But incredibly, that is exactly what is tearing the party apart because there are those who are convinced that its problems are being exaggerated.
So I would aver that at the moment there are two ANCs hardly co-existing in one party.
There is the ANC of Zuma, whose members are aghast at people criticising the party. Never mind that public loss of confidence was on display when the party lost three major metropolitan cities to the opposition last year.
And then there is Cyril Ramaphosa’s ANC, which preaches renewal, regeneration, tackling corruption and starting on a clean slate.
They have also been criticised for being part of the party decay over the years, but suddenly distance themselves from issues that they should also carry the can for.
This is where Makhosi Khoza can be located.
She was outspoken in her criticism of the president and had hinted that she supported the opposition motion of no confidence against Zuma.
The difference is that while Ramaphosa and company go around the country asking to be elected so that they can make changes and save the party, she has decided to bolt.
If things do not improve, she will not be the last prominent member to quit.
And depending on the outcome of the December conference, the solo dash could turn into an entire floodgate.
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