With the ANC seemingly unable to rescue itself from the downward trajectory it has been on since around 2009, attention should be shifting to its opposition to see what type of future government we are likely to have.
The obvious starting point for many political observers, given that it has been the country’s second biggest party for most of the last 31 years, would be the DA.
Given the country’s demographics as well as that the DA has struggled to win voters beyond its traditional white base, very few would be expecting the DA to one day win axfn outright majority at national level.
However, given that SA politics has now firmly entered the age of coalition government, even if the DA is unable to break through the 30% voter support ceiling, it is assumed that it would have a significant say on how that future government looks.
Yet a number of internal developments within the party now suggest this should not be taken as a given.
In recent weeks, high-ranking party leaders, including party leader John Steenhuisen, have been involved in an intense feud with a real potential to split party ranks.
Yesterday, this feud took a new turn when the party’s former head of finance, Dion George, resigned from the party while accusing Steenhuisen of being “captured” by the ANC and lion-hunting interest groups.
George was until recently a cabinet minister in the government of national unity led mainly by the ANC and the DA.
His fallout with Steenhuisen over the DA’s approach to the GNU led to the DA requesting President Cyril Ramaphosa to remove him from the cabinet.
Since then, the two DA personalities have been embroiled in a public spat that has not only been an embarrassment to them as individuals, but put into question the DA’s claim to good governance and anti-corruption.
With the party scheduled for internal leadership elections in April, expect smear campaigns and counter-smear campaigns to continue as different factions fight for the soul of the party.
All this may very well be within the rules of the dirty game called politics.
But those involved must be careful they do not end up behaving in such a way that ordinary voters would not be able to tell the difference between them and those they seek to remove from power.
The Herald
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