Tshwane – The fact that some ANC members have confirmed being implicated in a trove of leaked Gupta emails is good for the political party says its secretary general Gwede Mantashe.
He delivered an address on Friday night at the ANC Gauteng's policy conference taking place throughout the weekend in Irene.
"There is something positive coming out of these emails up, to now four of our comrades have owned up. Four, yes, owned up." He told delegates.
Mantashe who used the opportunity to deliver a political school style lecture spoke about the state of branches and members of the party. He also praised those who confirmed their involvement with the family said to have close ties to the president.
The Gupta's have been accused of having undue influence over President Jacob Zuma and some state owned enterprises. The family is also said to have had a hand in making key decisions such as appointing ministers in the country.
Their role in claims of state capture has been likened by some, such as the academic fraternity, as a soft coup.
'We used to lie blatantly'
Among those who have confirmed the claims are Communications Minister Ayanda Dlodlo who admitted that she had taken a trip to Dubai courtesy of the Gupta family, North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo who was cited as being one of the many faces in the liberation movement to have pitched at their Saxonwold home and the president's advisor Lakela Kaunda has confirmed that she was once on the Gupta payroll and discussed several business roles with the family.
"It didn't used to happen, we would deny everything [and say] no I don’t know what’s going on. We used to lie blatantly" said Mantashe in explaining how the posture of the party needed to change when it came to negative developments around the party.
"They all said it, yes I was there, yes it true, yes it’s true, yes it’s true," said the SG in Xhosa.
He also reiterated the calls for a judicial inquiry, which the president has now said he would establish.
"It must be constitutional and enforceable," said Mantashe.
Mantashe said the 105 year old liberation movement needed to change its posture on matters in the public domain, not only speak out against wrong doings but show that it was actually taking measures to address the problems.
He praised one of his comrades, former mayor of Ekurhuleni and now Member of Parliament Mondli Gungubele for his role in an adhoc committee on communications and its handling of the troubles at the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).
"When you started confronting the situation at the SABC then people began to see that the ANC knows the difference between right and wrong," said Mantashe.
No political ideology
The ANC SG also decried the state of branches saying there was a decline in political ideology in the movement.
"Comrades begin to howl and use common sense that is not so common because they are guided by no ideology," said Mantashe.
Giving insights on areas where current office bearers and stalwarts disagreed, Mantashe said former leaders of the party who had called for a national consultative conference had wanted to discuss the state of the organisation without the branches.
"We didn't agree with veterans when they said we don't want the branches [because] their politics [are] too poor," he said describing the request as flawed.
When you say that you are blaming the victim, he added.
"You recruit a person say for 23 years, then say a member who has been around for 15 years is of poor quality, that member of the branch is a victim of you not doing what you should do," he said.
Mantsashe said when he visited different branches across the different regions to deliver political school he found leaders, even in regions, did not know about the national democratic revolution.
"This is not isolated. It's not rare, you come across it everywhere," he said.
Mantashe said party members were not busy with discussions but too focused on issues around deployment and tenders.
He also said the party needed to accept that society was correct when it placed high expectations on the party.
"When people complain of state capture and that family [the Gupta's] we then say what about white monopoly capital," he went to define this as flawed.
"You are selecting the lowest common denominator to measure yourself because white monopoly capital is the essence of the revolution."
Comrades obsessing over names instead of principles - Mashatile
Delegates at the Gauteng ANC Policy Conference were reminded of the importance of engaging with the party's policies ahead of the national conference next week with provincial ANC chairperson Paul Mashatile discouraging factionalism and slate politics.
Mashatile instead said they should strive for a consensus when it comes to the 105-year-old liberation movement’s succession debate.
He warned that the winner takes all approach could lead to the destruction of the ANC and posed a danger of the party losing the 2019 general elections.
He delivered a political overview at the provincial policy conference on Friday evening in Irene, where he stressed the need for party members to concern themselves about the ANC’s policies.
The ANC in the province has yet to discuss, let alone communicate their preferred candidate to take over the political party when President Jacob Zuma steps down in December.
However delegates used song and jokes to express their preferences throughout the first evening.
"Si hamba no Cyril [We are with Cyril Ramaphosa]," was the song of choice for many gathered at the St George's hotel.
Attempts by some including the Ekurhuleni chairperson and mayor Mzwandile Masina to sing about Zuma were repeatedly drowned by those in support of Ramaphosa.
Almost giving a glimpse into his own ambitions and what people are saying about him, Mashatile jokingly said some, himself included had been approached about taking up positions in the national executive committee (NEC), he is currently there as an ex-officio member due to his position as chairperson.
"I can tell you comrades that the PEC [Provincial Executive Committee] is of the view that some of us have been there for too long, they are saying some of us must go help the NEC," he said to loud applause
"I only know that I am one of them.
"SG I am not campaigning, just telling you what the PEC is saying," he laughingly said to ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe.
But in between the singing and jokes Mashatile urged his comrades to use this period to define leadership and manage it within their structures. An exercise which needed to be guided by the ANC's Through the Eye of the Needle document, he said.
"Rather than we be obsessed with names, we should define the characteristics that a leader of the ANC must possess," said Mashatile.
Strengthening Luthuli House
Mashatile said some of the considerations which will be discussed over the weekend include a comprehensive policy on leadership with enforcement measures which can be utilised, when dealing with the issue of leadership.
He also said they needed to strengthen the ANC's Luthuli House headquarters in order to make it a strategic centre of power.
"Discussions are that more people should be sent to strengthen Luthuli house," he said.
These would include a second deputy president and two additional deputy secretary generals. Although Mashatile emphasised that these were not resolutions adopted by the province yet, it was just discussions.
He also said the way members of the party were selected to be public representatives was often a cause for contention in the party and that the thinking was that a revolutionary electoral college would assist in circumventing the issue.
