Statement of the African National Congress on the outcomes of the Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) meeting held 13 January 2017
16 January 2017
The Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) of the African National Congress (ANC) met on Friday 13th January 2017 at the Provincial Offices of the ANC in Cape Town.
The PEC received the Political Report from the Acting Chairperson, Cde Khaya Magaxa, and the report of the Provincial Working Committee from the Provincial Secretary, Cde Faiez Jacobs. In line with the commitments by the National Executive Committee to do introspection in order to self-correct, both the reports were an honest reflection of the organization and the material conditions within which the organization exists with the eye on the future that beckons. Both reports did a thorough review of the year that past, the state of the organization, the National Democratic Revolution (NDR) and the Balance of Forces within which the National Democratic Society must be attained
This year the African National Congress turns 105 years and to celebrate this milestone the ANC held a very successful anniversary celebration at Orlando Stadium in Soweto with our people coming out in numbers to reaffirm their commitment to the movement and their commitment to the road we have traveled together. The celebrations continue to all provinces and yesterday, we held our very successful provincial 105th anniversary celebrations in George in the Southern Cape.
For the next two weeks all ANC structures and ANC public reps, will deliver January 8th Public Lectures in each township and small Dorpie.
The National Executive Committee has declared this the year of Oliver Reginald Tambo. Let us deepen Unity. We know OR Tambo as the most selfless and humble leader of our movement, a thinker and strategist, and a trusted servant of the people. That is why in this year of Oliver Tambo, the PEC consider it of utmost importance that the principles for choosing the best cadres to lead transformation as outlined in our critical document, 'Through the Eye of the Needle' must be one of the organizations priorities in 2017.
The PEC discussed the state of the National Democratic Revolution and made a similar conclusion as the NEC that indeed the NDR remained on course albeit it faces serious threats among which is racism, ethnic nationalism and monopoly capital. Hence choosing the best leader who must intensify the second radical phase of our revolution was exceedingly important.
The PEC reiterated the need to intensify political consciousness and commitment on branch leaders and membership. Leadership and membership of the ANC needed to exhibit at all times the highest levels of selflessness, integrity, humility, concern for the will of and the interest of the people and the commitment to the implementation of the policies of the movement and the decisions of the collective.
The PEC once again calls on all ANC structures to work continuously towards achieving greater Unity and coherence. This includes the intra-alliance relations with SACP, COSATU and SANCO. The PEC will also develop and implement a program to improve relations with sub regional and regional sectors that include NGO's, CBO's, Churches and Business. The PEC will arrange with the Alliance partners a Western Cape Alliance Summit in the 1st quarter of 2017. The PEC will also work hard towards a broad front of progressive formations in order to be truly representative of the broader society's interests.
The PEC discussed and adopted the following critical matters.
1. . The PEC has taken a pro-active step by prioritizing the convening of all progressive role players in higher institutions of learning and community colleges to have an urgent education strategy session
2. The PEC adopted a road-map towards the Provincial General Council, National Policy conference and National Elective Conference (Our Provincial General Council is scheduled to take place in April 2017)
3. The last leg of the NEC-PEC investigations of the post elections objections will be resumed this month and we will then await the final report from our teams.
4. Preparations for 1 February by-elections are underway in Ward 11 (Thembalethu) and Ward 24 (Uniondale) in George and the provincial celebrations have galvanized the community there.
The PEC will work hard in 2017 to encourage Unity in the organization both in the Province and Nationally in line with the theme of the year. The PEC therefore made a few observations on the obstacles to Unity.
1. The PEC condemns the abuse of state machinery to settle political scores barely over a decade ago wherein prosecutorial decisions were manipulated to suit the political calendar of the ANC
2. We condemned the politicization of law enforcement agencies
3. The PEC is of the view that the prosecution (and subsequent withdrawal thereof) of comrade Pravin Gordhan cannot be seen outside the larger context of corporate capture of the state
4. The web of corporate capture is extremely corrosive and erodes our sovereignty and confidence of our people in the liberation movement
5. The PEC is of the view that the premature pronouncements, particularly those of the Woman's league serve to undermine the integrity of the organization and create an atmosphere of anarchy
6. PEC condemned the conduct of Chairperson Comrade Marius Fransman. His recent actions shows gross disregard for the ANC structures and must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
The PEC recognizes that ANC faces serious challenges and the symptoms show signs of disintegration within the ranks. We have to heed the call of the veterans and society at large. The PEC supports the agreement of NEC to the call for a Consultative Conference in order to correct the path our movement is taking and save ourselves from the ruin that is confronting us. This conference needs to interrogate the way we conduct ourselves as cadres and the way we govern in particular the intensification of fundamental economic transformation.
Unity however must go beyond the ANC into society. Hence the DA’s regressive policies which marginalize the poor African and Coloured working class, fueling racial bigotry and intolerance must be strongly condemned.
Ultimately, as the ANC in the Western Cape we cannot remember Cde OR Tambo without referring to his capacity to build a strong and solid tripartite alliance in order to face the challenge of a strong military state led by apartheid racist regime. The ANC must be preoccupied with building strong revolutionary alliance to reclaim political power in the Western Cape.
We need to build a strong ANC in the Western Cape in order to champion the dignity and empowerment of our motive force in advancing and defending the movement in honour of OR Tambo
Issued by Yonela Diko, ANC Western Cape Media Liaison Officer, 16 January 2017
