ANC's grip on heartlands weakens

SOUTH AFRICA: Anger at the ruling party over poor public services is growing, writes Bill Corcoran in Johannesburg.

SOUTH AFRICA: Anger at the ruling party over poor public services is growing, writes Bill Corcoran in Johannesburg.

The scenes of violence at the Khutsong township this month were reminiscent of South Africa's violent past, except for one important difference.

The thousands of residents who became embroiled in the mass protests, which led to riots, violent clashes with police and up to 100 arrests, were demonstrating against their former liberators from apartheid, the African National Congress (ANC), rather than a racist regime.

The locals' anger at the former liberation movement has been so acute in recent times that ANC councillors trying to canvass votes for the March 1st local election have been warned to stay away by residents of the township, 65km from Johannes-

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burg.

To further increase tensions, ANC supporters in the township, which has a population of 170,000, have been forced to flee following threats from angry residents who feel they can no longer tolerate what they see as wasted political allegiances.

"We are tired of the ANC. Other political parties are welcome to campaign, but not the ANC," resident Elisa Bogatsa told local media following a spate of unrest in the township.

In the case of Khutsong, the residents are up in arms over the transfer of their Merafong municipality from Gauteng to the North West province. They believe the latter has fewer resources, which will lead to poorer delivery of basic services.

In the race to fill South Africa's 8,000 seats in local government, the perceived ability to deliver these services - clean water, electricity, hygienic toilet facilities and houses - is what most would-be councillors' election hopes hinge upon.

Numerous similar instances of dissatisfaction against the ruling ANC have surfaced over the past few years in South Africa's poorest communities, who increasingly believe they have been left behind by leaders they supported and bled for during the apartheid era.

According to a Human Science Research Council study, the voter turnout on March 1st could be as high as 60 per cent, with more than 21 million of a possible 27 million eligible voters registered to vote.

In an effort to tackle voters' concerns over incompetence and corruption, the ANC has axed 60 per cent of current councillors from its candidate list and promised that half of all new councillors would be women, seen to be less prone to corruption.

The ANC led government has also pledged to spend 413 billion rand (€57.3 billion) on clean water, sanitation and electricity for all by 2012, and to continue replacing shacks with brick homes.

Official figures show that, despite the construction of hundreds of thousands of homes since the end of apartheid, nearly a quarter of the population (12 million people) still live in shacks.

On the doorsteps, voters are being urged to stick by the ANC because the party claims it is the only political organisation with "the experience, capacity and possibility to unite South Africans in building better communities".

As well as dissatisfaction among its support base, the ANC also has to contend with defections from its own ranks.

To date dozens of ANC councillors have crossed the floor to opposition parties and civic groups or have decided to stand as independent candidates.

So is the ANC facing a meltdown at local level, and will the situation adversely affect the party at national level?

Prof Philip Frankel, head of politics at the University of Witswatersrand, Johannesburg, believes there is a case for concern among the ANC leadership at national level, but the party still has a substantial 70 per cent majority in parliament.

"There is a serious problem with service delivery and the government is being called to account for unfulfilled promises. There is less patience now among the electorate, and many no longer view the ANC as just the party of liberation," Prof Frankel said..

"But there is no viable alternative to the ANC for black people. Who do you vote for? An independent councillor? That's just a wasted vote. And I can't see many of the other parties getting the black vote because they lack credibility.

"The Democratic Alliance [ the main opposition party] might pick up some votes because people don't want to vote ANC, not because they offer any real alternative."

In relation to the exodus from its own ranks, Prof Frankel said the ANC was probably happy with the situation. "In every local election you get people who abandon their party to stand as independents or for civic groups. "A lot of these defections are not over serious political issues. It's more opportunism and access to employment. Once elected some even rejoin the party they left.

"The ANC probably see this as a chance to clean out those who no longer fit the bill."