There is a widely used and often metaphorical expression that says “a week is a long time in politics,” which can be loosely translated to mean that a lot can happen in a short period of time in the political arena; if you ask ANC members from opposing factions, they will most likely tell you stories about this.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s dominant faction in the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) appeared to have its foot on the RET’s throat in recent months, following a string of suspensions of key RET supporters.
Ramaphosa’s purging of the RET is thought to be a bid to grab the ANC’s spirit from his opponents, as well as to tighten his hold on the party ahead of local government elections and beyond.
Consigning his opponents to the political doldrums might be seen as a tactic to make his re-election at the ANC conference in 2022 appear seamless.
However, it appears that the road ahead will not be easy, since the RET faction is still kicking and screaming, achieving little triumphs here and there along the way.
Following Secretary-General Ace Magashule’s well-documented suspension in May, the ANC chased his most reliable friend, MKMVA spokesperson Carl Niehaus, who had gone rogue and was constantly making disparaging remarks about Cyril’s leadership and co.
After making inflammatory comments outside former president Jacob Zuma’s eNkandla homestead in KwaZulu-Natal, they were eventually able to nail him, and his membership was suspended in July. Niehaus was accused of bringing the party into disrepute and of violating rule 25.17 of the party’s bylaws.
Meanwhile, in what is undoubtedly a significant triumph for the RET faction, Niehaus took to Twitter to express his joy and gratitude to Deputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte when she handed him a letter announcing the end of his suspension.
Regardless, Niehaus’ suspension has come to an end, and he was recently removed from his position at the ANC Secretary-office General’s after leading a protest of other employees over unpaid salary.
He must be overjoyed to regain his membership; otherwise, he would be forbidden from campaigning for the party ahead of the November elections, and would most likely miss out on the military veterans convention that he has championed later this year.
