Ace Magashule’s ANC exile is just a tip of the iceberg of what’s needed

[View in browser]( [Mail & Guardian]( M&G Mornings | Tue 13 Jun   [Ron Derby] There are a few images that stand out for me in the decline of the ANC over the past two decades. The first being of the celebrations of people such as Fikile Mbalula when Jacob Zuma had finally managed to topple Thabo Mbeki in Polokwane as we — the lowly journalists — sat on the floor of that 2007 conference. It was quite a show, and sadly many of those men and women in that building remain today as stewards of our political discourse. The whisky and high-end champagne flowed that entire weekend as the guillotines were sharpened. The other image of this transitory stage that comes to the ANC every five years was that of the victors in December 2017 at Nasrec. After the voting results were announced and after a sullen face of Zuma broadcast to all, there was the image of incoming president, Cyril Ramaphosa, next to a bewildered looking face of Ace Magashule — the new secretary general of the ANC. It was so abundantly clear from that image alone that the ANC stood no chance of renewal or that it would see a “New Dawn”. The party was broken, right? This week, Ace, who represented the “Premier League” — remember that term — was finally kicked out of the party. Having long been suspended as secretary general and de facto, chief-executive of the party, he has long been a non entity. But as long as he remained an aggrieved member and a high profile one at that, his presence in whatever form would continue to drag the party lower. The ANC has many Ace’s in its midst, as long as they remain — there are simply no prospects of a refresh of the party and it will continue to grow more irrelevant to its young populace by the day. Ron Derby | Editor-in-Chief [@Ronderby]( [Ace Magashule]( [ANC expels Ace Magashule]( Former secretary did not provide the party with reasons why he should not be expelled, as requested [// Read more]( [Putin Ramaphosa]( [Talk of sanctions over stance on Russia reckless: presidency]( Washington has made no such threat, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office says, while probe into Lady R is to remain classified [// Read more]( [Jerry_Phineas_Anna_Mokoena_Sara_Motlaung_4404]( [Groovlei residents demand jobs, threaten to stop transition]( Community members living close to the Grootvlei power plant say they will protest against Eskom’s plans to use external contractors [// Read more]( Recommended Reads [‘Only entrepreneurship can save the youth of South Africa’ from rising unemployment]( The latest official data shows that youth unemployment rose by 1.1% and almost a quarter of a million young people lost their jobs in the first three months of 2023 [// Read more]( [Telkom shares soar as Sipho Maseko’s acquisition bid confirmed]( The former chief executive is credited with saving the company by making inroads into the mobile market [// Read more]( [African football needs more than faith to thrive]( Janine van Wyk, who is two matches from becoming Africa’s most capped international footballer, says things must change for teams from the continent to achieve their true potential [// Read more]( [Is the triumphant victory for Tayyip Erdogan a defeat for the West?]( Despite the sultan of Istanbul being at the helm of power for 20 years and counting, he managed to come through in a heavily contested general election of 2023 [// Read more]( Premium [Questioning state and corporate motives should be routine]( Captains of industry may appear the benevolent saviours of a state in decline, but we ought to question their intentions [// Read more]( Pic of the day [Scientists And Activists Hold Ceremony At Shrinking Morteratsch Glacier] In this aerial view the receding Morteratsch glacier lies on May 20, 2023 near Pontresina, Switzerland. On June 18 Swiss voters will go to the polls to decide on the so-called Glacier Initiative, launched by the Swiss Association for Climate Protection, which would require Switzerland to end greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel consumption by 2050. The Morteratsch glacier, which lies in the Bernina mountain range and is the third largest glacier in the Eastern Alps. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Mail & Guardian Media LTD · 25 Owl St · Braamfontein · Johannesburg, Gauteng 2001 · South Africa