By Mzwandile Masina
French poet and novelist, Victor Hugo, makes the profound statement that nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come. While he is more renowned for his novels, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables, and was at the forefront of the Romantic literary movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, it is his political works that stand out to me. In many of his political writings, he reflects on the importance of ideas, arguing that the height of enlightenment is to move conflict from the battlefield to the ideational space – an arena of minds being open to ideas. The works of Hugo are relevant in the 21st century, a time in which economies have transitioned from being industry based to being knowledge-based, and a time in which party- political systems across the world are evolving. But they are more important in South Africa and undoubtedly, within the African National Congress (ANC), where new ideas are not only necessary, but are the bridge across the existential crisis that both the governing party and our country face.
The ANC is preparing for its 55th National Conference that is scheduled for December. The conference will be a defining moment for the organisation and South Africa at large. It takes place at a time when the party is tethering very dangerously on the edge of a catastrophic loss of power. Over the past few years, the ANC has been haemorrhaging electoral support. The recent local government elections crystalised the party’s decline, with it losing power in all metropolitan municipalities in the Gauteng province and hanging onto power by a very thin thread in others. All indications are that the upcoming general election scheduled for 2024 will be challenging for the party, not only in industrial provinces but in rural areas too, where, even as the party enjoys popular support, electoral power has been on a steady decline. And while it is still possible for the party to change this trajectory, it is going to require serious work. The most important discussion that should occupy the minds of anyone who loves the organisation and who is invested in the future of South Africa, is how the ANC can arrest this decline and significantly, place the country on a path of the prosperity that was promised at the dawn of the new dispensation.
While there is no one solution that can be deemed a panacea to this crisis, it is undebatable that one of the necessary interventions that need to happen is for the ANC to embrace the wave of change that is happening globally – that of becoming a younger organisation. There is a clear indication that global trends are shifting towards younger leadership in government and within governing parties. Just a few weeks ago, Mary Elizabeth Truss, a 47-year-old woman, was elected as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She joins other relatively young global leaders, such as San Marino’s Giacomo Simoncini who, at the age of 27, is the youngest president in the world. Jacinda Arden, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, is 42 years old. The Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, is 36 years old, while Irakli Garibashvil, her counterpart in Georgia, is only 39 years old. Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, is 44 years old. There are several others.
This phenomenon is not unique to the West. Across the global South, there is an emergence of younger leaders being elected to steer their countries towards economic and political stability. These include the 40-year-old president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele; the 39-year old president of Mali, Assimi Goita and the 36-year-old president of Chile, Gabriel Boric Font. In Mongolia, 41-year-old Oyun- Erdene Luvsannamsrai is the Prime Minister. Countries such as Kenya, where 55-year-old William Ruto was recently elected as its president, and Papua New Guinea, where 51-year-old James Marape was elected as the Prime Minister, are also moving towards youthful governments.
This is not an arbitrary issue of age, but a reflection of a new thinking about the future. Countries with younger leaders tend to do better in innovation and human development, for the simple reason that younger leaders are open to new and radical ideas that move countries forward. This is much needed in Africa where underdevelopment and limited innovation are posing an impediment to progress. Africa is the youngest continent in the world, with 40 percent of its population aged 15 years and younger, in contrast to a global average of 26 percent. The continent accounts for 23 percent of the entire world’s youth population – with Asia coming in second. It stands to reason that young people should play an integral role in the politics of the continent and certainly, of South Africa.
There are currently nine candidates below the age of 55 who are contesting different positions in the top six as we approach the 55th National Conference of the ANC. These young candidates must be supported, not based solely on their ages, but also on the wealth of experience that they bring with them. All candidates have served at various spheres of government, with some currently serving as ministers and deputy ministers. Others have served at the highest level of local government, as executive mayors and members of the mayoral council. But beyond public service, these individuals are educated and possess the necessary skill, and have made significant contributions in academia, the private sector and civil society. Having risen through the ranks of the student and youth movements within the ANC and the Congress Alliance, they understand the strategic objectives of the progressive movement. There is no logical reason that such capacitated people should not be entrusted with the responsibility of leading the ANC and South Africa.
The future of South Africa depends on the development of new ideas. A younger generation of leaders is the carrier of many of these ideas. It should be supported by everyone, including the older generations in the ANC, because the future of the ANC and of our country depends on bringing these ideas to fruition. To fail at this would be to fail at securing a prosperous future for our children and their children. The ANC cannot afford to ignore the wave of change happening in the world. It cannot afford to reject an whose time has come.
*Masina is the ANC Ekurhuleni regional chairperson. He writes in his personal capacity.