Let the nation and Constitutional Court note the ugly power play in Cape Town, Storm over ANC bid to topple DA’s Zille in Cape (September 20).

The facts are clear: the African National Congress (ANC) wants its provincial power to reverse its municipal losses.

The legalities are simple: the ANC cannot even fake an explanation for wanting a mayoral committee, given that it introduced and upholds executive mayorships everywhere else.

The political and economic implications are ominous: people who use the law to grab councils one day will change the law to grab farms (etc) the next.

The danger is not new; the ANC has introduced constitutional tricks before — the floor-crossing legislation, proportional lists, redrawn constituency boundaries, the metro unicities, appointing the public defender, chairing the standing committee on public accounts, etc.

The Constitutional Court failed in the past to protect the people from the state; don’t fail us now.