South Africa and Sierra Leone in intense political agitation

Former South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan at the memorial service for the late anti-apartheid Stalwart Ahmed Kathrada in Johannesburg on April 1, 2016. PHOTO | GULSHAN KHAN | AFP

What you need to know:

  • Remarkably, in both countries there is mounting impatience with the manoeuvres of the incumbents, who are ironically yet to come to the end of their constitutional terms.

  • South Africa’s leader Jacob Zuma has increasingly been viewed as a lone ranger out to neutralise real or perceived opponents.

Even with scheduled presidential elections and prospects of change of administrations still far off, two countries – South Africa and Sierra Leone – are already embroiled in unusually intense political agitation.

Remarkably, in both countries there is mounting impatience with the manoeuvres of the incumbents, who are ironically yet to come to the end of their constitutional terms.

South Africa’s leader Jacob Zuma has increasingly been viewed as a lone ranger out to neutralise real or perceived opponents.

After days of speculation about his next move, he finally struck on Friday.

In a a late-night restructuring of the Cabinet, the beleaguered leader fired five ministers, including the respected finance boss Pravin Gordhan.

And on Wednesday, his Sierra Leonean counterpart Ernest Bai Koroma was showing the door to Ibrahim Bundu, the parliamentary majority leader.

The dismissal was widely viewed as the latest episode in a continuing power struggle within the governing All People’s Congress.

Pointedly, Bundu – the majority leader since 2014 – was one of the more than a dozen hopefuls for the party’s presidential ticket in the election slated for March 7, 2018.

He was replaced by his deputy in an announcement by parliament speaker Sheku Dumbuya, who said he was acting on instructions from the president.

According to Dumbuya, President Koroma “acted in his capacity as leader and chairman of the party, and found Bundu could no longer be fair in his role as head of the House”.

FINAL TERM

Pointedly, Koroma, who like President Zuma is on the homestretch of his second and final five-year term, recently told presidential aspirants not willing to go by the ruling party’s rules that they were free to leave.

Though Koroma has constantly denied it, he has for long been suspected of wanting to prolong his rule, like a handful of African despots, despite being barred by the constitution.

Suspicion about Koroma’s intentions were buttressed on Thursday, when parliament debated a motion seeking to extend his term.

The move, reportedly met with outrage by many Sierra Leoneans, is said to have also sought to extend the voter registration, and was widely viewed as likely to see the term of the country’s parliament and the president lengthened.

President Koroma has been accused of seeking to continue controlling the party should he finally step down. His recent moves are viewed as intended to impose a malleable successor.

Back to Zuma, his long-anticipated cabinet reshuffle was followed by a backlash. He found himself facing the prospect of a new motion of no confidence in parliament.

Given that he is a veritable street fighter, whether the new threat of impeachment will shake Zuma remains to be seen.