Political analyst dissects tensions within the ANC
Weighing in on the call by ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu for the ruling party's NEC to resign, a political analyst believes some members of the party feel the democratic space inside the ANC has narrowed.
Aubrey Matshiqi spoke at an event organised by the Democracy Development Programme in Durban last night.
He said party officials are now stepping outside the party's leadership structures like the National Executive Committee and the National Working Committee to say what they believe the party is unable to in official statements.
"This is not unprecedented. You will remember that when people like Jackson Mthembu and others supported Jacob Zuma prior to the Polokwane conference in 2007, they basically had to adopt an alternative programme to that of the official programme of the ANC in support of what was then the deputy president of the ANC - Jacob Zuma," he said.
Political analyst, Aubrey Matshiqi, says the current political unrest is not new.
"When you think of current tensions in the ANC, don't think they are. They are not. Some of the individuals who are part of the current drama were part of the tensions when the ANC was on exile and underground. Many of them were part of Operation Vula," he said.