ANC NEC MEDIA STATEMENT

The African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee (NEC) held its ordinary meeting on Friday, 11 March 2011 and on Saturday, 12 March 2011, convened an extended NEC session, which included SACP-COSATU-SANCO Alliance partners and the ANC leadership at provincial and regional levels.

While we focused on various challenges and programmes of the ANC, the key issue dominating discussions over the past two days at the St Georges Hotel in Tshwane, was our preparedness for the upcoming local government elections to be held on 18 May 2011.

With Branch General Meetings (BGMs) and community meetings having been held, and Regional List Conferences having been convened in all provinces, we are happy to announce that - despite challenges in the Eastern Cape and North West - we are on track in our preparations for the local government elections. Provincial List Conferences in the form of extended Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) meetings have ensured inclusiveness in the form of gender representation, continuity and geographic spread.

We are happy that the ANC candidates' list process has been largely influenced by the views of our people on the ground and - where necessary - there was political intervention to uphold the principles of our movement.

Not only do the candidates' lists from various provinces largely reflect gender balance, continuity, generational mix and new faces, but show how rigorous our processes have been. When it comes to the choice of mayors, we wish to stress that being on top of the list or serving in senior regional or provincial structures of the organisation, does not determine whether a candidate becomes a mayor.

The following is the gender and continuity balance:

• In Gauteng, the gender balance is at 51.6%, continuity 58%, women ward candidates 41%, youth 12%.
• In the Northern Cape, average gender representation is 52%, continuity is 42.4%, youth representation 24.8%.
• In the Limpopo, gender representation stands at 51.07% and continuity is 38.5%.
• KwaZulu-Natal has 48% women representation.
• Western Cape has an average of 50% women representation.
• Mpumalanga has an average 50% women representation and 48% continuity.
• Free State has an average 50% women representation and 48% continuity.
• Eastern Cape and North West have been given until Wednesday to finalise the list.

While facing challenges in the Eastern Cape, which include litigation by some individuals, we appreciate the fact that all processes have been completed in all regions except OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo. The NEC has mandated the National List Committee (NLC) and the National Working Committee (NWC) to deal with outstanding issues in the Eastern Cape and in the North West. While defending two court cases in the Eastern Cape, we wish to categorically state that those who have taken the ANC to court and destroyed ANC property have been suspended.

In reflecting on the health of the organisation - its strengths, weaknesses and challenges - the NEC fully endorsed and embraced the call by President Jacob Zuma that ANC members should at all times uphold organisational discipline and integrity of our movement. We are also sending a clear message to those members seeking positions in our movement by taking the ANC to court. They should realise that when joining the ANC, you are submitting yourself to ANC Constitution, principles, policies and values voluntarily.

We have put up a team of ANC cadres with a legal background to investigate actions of litigation against the ANC - particularly in the Eastern Cape - which we are convinced is aimed at excluding the ANC from the electoral process.

Among other decisions taken at the NEC were that the top six ANC officials will tomorrow (Monday, 14 March 2011) pay a visit to the Western Cape to engage with those who submitted appeals against the recent provincial conference.

The NEC also received progress reports on some key ANC programmes, which include progress reports on the work of the political school and preparations for the organisation's centenary celebrations in 2012. Plans for the construction of the political school are in full swing with plans having been submitted to the ANC and approved. We expect construction to start by 1 October 2011. Plans for the celebration of the ANC centenary are also progressing well.

Statement issued by Gwede Mantashe, Secretary General of the African National Congress, March 13 2011

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