Delisted on the cadre exchange

The world’s longest-surviving black political party turned 114 years this week and, as usual, its leaders and followers celebrated in every way they could.

The Gauteng branch of the ANC marked the occasion by releasing a short online video documenting the history of the organisation by listing all the presidents the party has had since 1912.

On the list were John Langalibalele Dube, the founding president, followed by Sefako Makgatho, ZR Mahabane, Josias T Gumede, Pixley ka Seme, ZR Mahabane (for his second stint), AB Xuma, JS Moroka, Albert Luthuli, Oliver Tambo, Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and Cyril Ramaphosa.

No mention of what’s-his-name from Nkandla village. Have the comrades decided to pretend that “the nine wasted years” never happened at all?

Work for some, not for all

Hogarth recalls a time when the ANC’s strongest selling point was that, after decades of apartheid and a discriminatory labour system that kept an army of working people in the “reserves” and without jobs, it would create “jobs for all”.

But after three decades of poor performance on this score, the ANC appears to have finally given up on the process. Yes, its president, Cyril Ramaphosa, still seems to believe people will accept that he is doing something about it when he claims that “unemployment is what keeps me up at night”.

His party’s national chairman, Gwede Mantashe, on the other hand, appears tired of all the pretence. The former trade unionist was on television the other day blaming the unemployed for not having jobs, claiming they simply don’t apply for them.

This is rich coming from a man who sends his children to China for further university studies and then sees them appointed to boards of state-run institutions, without much independent experience to speak of.

A few bananas shy of a bunch

However, Hogarth was pleased to see ANC Youth League leader Collen Malatji take Mantashe head-on, even going as far as accusing the ANC national chairperson of being “detached from reality”. You must be doing particularly badly, as a politician, to have Malatji accuse you of being detached from reality.

Malatji is the same guy who recently suggested that South Africa could defeat Donald Trump’s imperialism by starving the US of “bananas and oranges”.

“They have weapons, we have what they need. We must starve them; let’s not give them our oranges and our bananas. These people have no food, they depend on us … The war is coming, whether you go to the White House or not,” Malatji said.

With “young leaders” like him, one can only pray the country never discovers enough on our shores for American hustlers to start taking real notice.

All roads lead to Pretoria

Speaking of the oil-thirsty US, Trump’s abduction of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro had the world up in arms. Thousands of people across the globe took to the streets to protest the flagrant violation of that country’s sovereignty and the breach of international law by the US. South Africans were not to be left behind.

A group of organisations led by Cosatu affiliates and the SACP marched to the US embassy in Pretoria to demand that Maduro be released.

One of the protestors was asked by a TV journalist why he had travelled all the way from Johannesburg for the demonstration. He said he had done so because he believed what Americans were doing was wrong and that, when he heard Maduro was being held in the building behind him — pointing at the Pretoria embassy — he felt compelled to come and help release him.

Hogarth suggests somebody show the comrade a map of world cities; it might help him tell his Pretoria from his New York City.

Being ignored can be bliss

Poor Madala Masuku, the first deputy general secretary of the SACP. His job, it would seem, is to take on the tough tasks his boss, Solly Mapaila, is not prepared to do. Towards the end of 2026, Masuku had to stand in after Mapaila was a no-show at an ANC national general council (NGC) meeting, where ANC members heckled the SACP delegation for the party’s decision to contest the upcoming local government elections on its own.

Then, this week, a group of Mapaila’s supporters tried to boo Ramaphosa at an SACP event. Although they failed to disrupt his speech, there were fears ANC members might retaliate against the SACP leadership at the ANC birthday bash this weekend. So, as at the NGC, Mapaila again failed to pitch and Masuku had to brave the crowd.

Luckily, the mood was festive and he was ignored.