Shikotandala? Shidankota? Danshikota?

Admittedly, not quite as catchy as Shikota… but Cope's leadership is going to have to come up with something to sell their virtually unknown 'presidential candidate' to the masses. Mbhazima Shilowa: sold. Mosiuoa Lekota: sold. Mvume Dandala: who, what, why now?

The most pressing of these questions is, of course, why now? Why, with a mere eight weeks to go until South Africa goes to the polls has Cope suddenly introduced a new character into the electoral fray?

Taking a gamble

Jacob Zuma is proof that politics in South Africa is as much about old party allegiances as it is about personality. Lekota, and to a lesser degree Shilowa, may have obvious failings, but they are also personalities which the South African public has, to some extent, bought into. So why the massive gamble on a former minister?

Yes, former, because when he agreed to become Cope's presidential candidate, Mvume Dandala was obliged to give up his role as a Methodist minister. A condition which raises the following question: why would a man who has dedicated his life to the Christian faith — first as the Presidency Bishop of the Methodist Church of South Africa and the president of the South African Council of Churches and then as the general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches — willingly give up his vocation for a political role which may very well never reach fruition?

At a press briefing following his nomination, Dandala gave the following explanation.

"My fellow South Africans, the reason I am standing here before you today is because I stand with men and women of goodwill, to help our nation return to the dreams and hopes that we as a nation cherished back in 1994.

"Those dreams, our hopes, were for efficient government, freedom from hunger and better lives for our children… This is the time for us to ask the question 'Have those dreams come true?'"

The fact that the answer to his question is a resounding 'no' may explain his personal motivation, but it sheds little light on why Cope chose him over well-established personalities in the party's leadership.

Cope's answer to Zuma?

QUICK FACTS
Name	Hamilton Mvumelwano Dandala
Born	26 October 1951
Spouse	Phumzile Dandala
Children	Hlomla Dandala (former Isidingo star) and Thobeka Dandala (lawyer and founding member of Cope's leadership institute).
Education	Trained for the ministry at the Federal Theological Seminary in Alice (Eastern Cape); BA and Masters in Theology from the University of Cambridge. Honorary doctorates from universities in the former Transkei and Cameroon.
Struggle cred	Detained without trial in 1985 when South Africa declared a state of emergency.
Prestigious positions	Presidency Bishop of the Methodist Church of South Africa (until 2003); president of the South African Council of Churches (until 2003); and general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches (until 2008).
Awards	National Order of the Baobab, silver category, for his role and involvement in the struggle against apartheid (2002); Peace Award from the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (1994); Paul Harris Fellowship Award (1994); Peace Hero Award (1993) and Distinguished Humanitarian Services Award (1993).

If, as has been suggested by some, the party was trying to avoid a showdown between its founders, then it is admirable that both Lekota and Shilowa relinquished power so easily. Compared with the epic Polokwane power struggle in the ANC, this suggests a certain level of political maturity, lessened only somewhat by the fact that the party is unlikely to have to face the reality of 'two centres of power'.

On the other hand, Cope, as an organisation, may simply have weighed up the pull of personality against the tarnished residue of the ANC legacy and found that the bishop was the safer bet. Untainted by association with the Mbeki administration (which may or may not be a good thing) and untouched by scandal, Dandala embodies the ultimate antithesis to Jacob Zuma.

Imbued with the moral stature of a religious leader; educated at Cambridge University (a Masters in theology); married to one woman (only) for 35 years; and a voice of reason on the topic of HIV/Aids (Dandala took a public HIV test to encourage testing and petitioned Mbeki on HIV/Aids policies), Dandala is the anti-Zuma.

If, as some have suggested, the formation of Cope is nothing more than a reaction to the cult of Zuma, then perhaps this is entirely the point. But, unfortunately, Dandala can only occupy such a spotless moral high-ground because he is free of the ugly stain of South African politics. And while this may make him a worthy man, it also makes him a disadvantaged adversary.

In South African politics, struggle credentials and political savvy are everything. While Dandala may have played a leadership role in the South African Students Organisation in his youth; worked as a conflict resolution figure during the violent 1980s; and helped mediate peace deals across Africa, his past is not as closely tied to the history of South Africa (both old and new) as that of Jacob 'umshini wam' Zuma.

Furthermore, by taking the moral high-ground and electing a bishop (albeit a former one), Cope has risked alienating secular society. There is, without a doubt, a section of South African society that strongly disapproves of the morality of the current ANC leadership. But the fact that Jacob Zuma, despite his many moral shortcomings, is as popular as he is and the fact that the African Christian Democratic Party has never done particularly well, is evidence enough that politics in South Africa has a strongly secular bias.

If Dandala can persuade the electorate that his faith, whilst making him a better man, is not likely to influence his decisions as a president; if Cope launches a massive media campaign extolling the virtues of their presidential candidate; and if Shilowa and Lekota rally strongly behind Dandala, then there is a chance that the gambit will pay off. If not, Cope may not get to play the next hand.

What do you think about Mvume Dandala as Cope's presidential candidate? Share your thoughts below…