A few days ago, billionaire entrepreneur Patrice Motsepe, addressed the SA National Editors Forum (Sanef) fundraising dinner at the Houghton Hotel in Johannesburg.
Among the issues he touched on was the false rumour about him bidding to become the president of the ANC.
In the past few years there have been rumours that the billionaire might contest for the ANC presidency.
At one point, some members of the ANC circulated campaign posters bearing his name and attempted to mobilise support for him from branches of the party.
This was despite Motsepe, who stated at the Sanef fundraising dinner that he was a loyal supporter of the party, having repeatedly distanced himself from the rumours.
Those in support of Motsepe becoming a member of the ANC want him to become the president of SA.
They argue that he has the necessary skills and business acumen to transform and grow the country’s ailing economy, as well as much-needed integrity to rebuild public trust in an organisation which has been marred in all manner of corruption scandals.
Many voters have ceased to believe in the ANC’s capacity and willingness for renewal — evidenced in the declining voter support which has seen the organisation lose its majority nationally and in key municipalities.
The ANC was reduced to an opposition role many years ago in the Western Cape and governs Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal through coalitions.
These are the three wealthiest provinces in the country.
Of the eight Category A municipalities, or metros, the ANC governs through a coalition in six (City of Johannesburg, City of Tshwane, City of Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay municipality, eThekwini metropolitan municipality and Mangaung metropolitan municipality).
It has a majority government only in Buffalo City metropolitan municipality, while the DA governs the City of Cape Town.
All indications are that the ANC will continue to haemorrhage support in the local government elections which will take place in a few months.
Thus the desire by ANC members for Motsepe to take over the reins of the party is understandable.
Motsepe, speaking at the Sanef dinner, said he would continue to support the democratic project in any way necessary, but would not join party politics.
He jokingly said he would not do this because “I am not mad” and went on to elaborate that change needed to be made beyond political office.
Motsepe argued that all stakeholders in society, including business people, needed to make contributions to strengthening the democratic project, and that such contributions should not be limited to being in political office.
This argument has earned Motsepe my respect.
While I believe in the importance of a healthy democracy, I do not support the idea that everyone should be involved in party politics.
As things stand, there are hundreds of political parties registered with the Electoral Commission of SA, most of them unknown and with no influence or potential for growth.
But while many are scrambling for political office, other areas which require just as much attention and activism, such as the corporate sector, remain far removed from participation in rebuilding our country.
Motsepe is correct in saying he can serve the country better by remaining in business, where he can help grow and strengthen the economy.
We need a stronger economy which depends on the creation of millions of jobs.
This is why we need a private sector which is invested in the politics of sustainable and inclusive economic development, rather than having leaders of business wanting to run for political office.
Not everyone should be a politician, for while there is power in politics, there is just as much power in our ability to fashion solutions which are not state-centric.
The Herald
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