The Eastern Cape ANC is struggling financially as a result of the one-two punch of the economy and the inroads that the Congress of the People (COPE) has made in the region. The Eastern Cape is a historical stronghold for the ANC, so COPE’s inroads have to be particularly worrisome.
Um, COPE? I’d wipe that smug grin off of my face if I were you. The leader of your party’s youth wing, Anele Mda, has been accused of calling COPE deputy general secretary Deidre Carter a “stupid, white token bitch” during an altercation in Johannesburg just after last weekend’s congress national committee meeting.
By the way — What’s with the young turks in South African politics? Between Mda and the foot-in-mouth syndrome of the ANC Youth League’s Julius Malema (who at least one observer feels is being groomed as the country’s future president) it seems that the parties are spending as much time dealing with self-inflicted wounds as with addressing real issues. Here is a hint: those who undermine from within one’s own ranks are always worse than the opposition. If someone on my side of a debate lies or says something inflammatory or just acts like an idiot it does a lot more harm than anything the other side could do.
