South Africa: the ANC National Conference in 2007 vs. 2012 and the attempts to fight corruption

This briefing analyzes the shifting political dynamics within the African National Congress (ANC) leading up to the 2012 National Conference in Mangaung, contrasting it with the 2007 Polokwane conference. It further examines the challenges of combating corruption among powerful elites in South Africa, specifically citing a failed legal effort by Transnet to recover funds, and reports on Mary Robinson's keynote address regarding the erosion of the ANC's moral authority.

• Political commentator Karima Brown argues that the dynamics of the ANC's internal politics have shifted from ideological coherence to patronage. While the 2007 Polokwane conference featured factions divided by ideology—with Thabo Mbeki representing a "right-leaning policy hegemony" and opponents like COSATU and the SACP being left-leaning—the run-up to the 2012 Mangaung conference is primarily driven by "access to state resources for the benefit of particular interest groups".
• President Jacob Zuma is positioned to successfully remain president at the Mangaung conference because his opposition is fragmented. Those against him have not formed a "coherent faction" but are instead a "swirling, confused and frequently realigning mess" without an agreed leader. Vice-President Kgalema Motlanthe has not confirmed a campaign, as he would risk his positions in the government and the ANC if he ran and lost.
• The South African state's inability to prosecute politically connected individuals for corruption is exemplified by Transnet's abandonment of civil litigation to recover R95 million in "fruitless and wasteful expenditure" from Abalozi Risk Advisory Services. The contract, linked to former Minister General Siphiwe Nyanda, was found to be awarded fraudulently by Siyabonga Gama. Despite being fired in 2010, Gama was reinstated by the ANC in April 2011, and the legal case was withdrawn. The document notes that no politically connected person has been convicted under the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) since its 2000 promulgation, contributing to an estimated R30 billion annual loss due to corruption in government procurement.
• During the 10th Annual Mandela Lecture in Cape Town, Mary Robinson stated that the ANC's moral authority has been "eroded, tainted by allegations of corruption", describing this as a "temporary betrayal of its history".

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). South Africa: the ANC National Conference in 2007 vs. 2012 and the attempts to fight corruption. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-the-anc-national-conference-in-2007-vs.-2012-and-the-attempts-to-fight-corruption

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. South Africa: the ANC National Conference in 2007 vs. 2012 and the attempts to fight corruption. n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-the-anc-national-conference-in-2007-vs.-2012-and-the-attempts-to-fight-corruption.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=South Africa: the ANC National Conference in 2007 vs. 2012 and the attempts to fight corruption |url=https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-the-anc-national-conference-in-2007-vs.-2012-and-the-attempts-to-fight-corruption |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndsouth, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{South Africa: the ANC National Conference in 2007 vs. 2012 and the attempts to fight corruption}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/south-africa-the-anc-national-conference-in-2007-vs.-2012-and-the-attempts-to-fight-corruption}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }