The always-controversial (but undeniably magnetic) head of the ANC Youth League (ANC-YL), Julius Malema, recently spoke at the launch of the ANC’s local government elections manifesto in North West Province. His argument was simple: If you don’t like some of the candidates running on the ANC ticket, vote for them anyway.
“Even if you like the face or not, as long as next to that face is the emblem of the ANC, you must vote for that face.”
Voters were “failed by individuals, not our organisation, the ANC”, Malema said.
But Malema reminded those who would benefit from the ANC’s coat tails:
“When people are in power, they think they are untouchable… once they become a councillor, they think they are more powerful than the ANC, but now they will be out.”
What are we to make of this naked appeal to partisanship? Where is the line between party loyalty and blind loyalty? It seems to me that Malema is simply recognizing a political reality. For a party to succeed there needs to be a certain level of discipline within the party, but also amongst its supporters. The ANC is, as much as anything, a brand. And as such it is in search of brand loyalty. The party is so diffuse, with so much room for disagreement that it must at least depend that its big tent carries with it a certain level of loyalty.
Naturally this loyalty is especially important in a time when the ANC feels like challenges from within the party and without might gain traction. Malema has said many shocking things in his life. His comments in North West are not among them.