Experts unanimously believe that the political fate of Bathabile Dlamini, president of the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL), is sealed and that the league would have no choice but to dump her after her conviction for perjury yesterday. The sentencing of Johannesburg magistrate Betty Khumalo against Dlamini was seen as a milestone. It was the first time against a minister – she was the minister of social development at the time the crime was committed. At the same time, it is the final nail in her political coffin, a week after she was warned she and the league leadership would have to leave because…
Experts unanimously believe that the political fate of Bathabile Dlamini, president of the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL), is sealed and that the league would have no choice but to dump her after her conviction for perjury yesterday.
The sentencing of Johannesburg magistrate Betty Khumalo against Dlamini was seen as a milestone.
It was the first time against a minister – she was the minister of social development at the time the crime was committed. At the same time, it is the final nail in her political coffin, a week after she was warned that she and the league leadership had to leave as their tenures expired. Dlamini was convicted of perjury on Wednesday after being accused of lying under oath.
Political analyst Professor Susan Booysen said: “While the conviction is not on corruption charges, this case is a milestone as she holds a senior position in the ANC as president of the women’s league.
“This is a very serious matter for which the ANC Women’s League must show its true face, whether it wants to keep her in that position or whether it takes the renewal of the ANC seriously.”
Another analyst, Professor Dirk Kotze, said her conviction would tarnish her credibility.
“It’s a crime about her credibility, it’s a crime about her integrity and those things rely on her image,” Kotze said. He said the sentencing was a devastating blow to Dlamini, made worse by being seen so close to her former president Jacob Zuma – which made her a target.
Kotze said: “Because all leagues, especially the ANC youth and veteran leagues, are now joining [President] Cyril Ramaphosa, it will be difficult for her to be re-elected. Her chances are slim.”
Booysen said that in addition to members of the radical economic transformation group, who regularly attend its court hearings, it would be interesting to see who else Dlamini would support.
However, the ANC wouldn’t want to keep her. But this casts a serious cloud over the ANC’s claim that it has the capacity to rule decently.
“This is really a challenge for the ANC Women’s League to show its true nature – that it is willing to renew. It is a setback for the league and its campaign towards the national conference.”
Kotze said that under Dlamini’s leadership, the women’s competition had not performed well. She hadn’t played her part in any capacity because she was an “absent leader”.