ANC statement on outcomes of the National Working Committee

8 October 2024

The National Working Committee convened its regular meeting on the 07 October 2024 to consider and resolve on matters pertaining various programmes of the organisation.

SPECIAL OFFICIAL FUNERAL - CDE PRAVIN GORDHAN

The NWC commended President Cyril Ramaphosa for according the late Comrade Pravin Gordhan a Special Official Funeral Category 2. The ANC will forever be indebted to the role played by Comrade Pravin Gordhan in the struggle for a free and democratic South Africa as well as his relentless fight against corruption as we embark on comprehensive national transformation.

VIOLENT CRIME

The NWC noted with serious concern the continued murder of our people and urge law enforcement to leave no stone unturned to apprehend such criminals. On Saturday morning of the 28th September 2024, the country woke up to the very tragic news that a total of 18 people were gunned down at the Ngobozana Village in Lusikisiki, in two households in the Eastern Cape.

The NWC commended the Minister of Police, and Provincial Commissioners of Police for the leadership they have demonstrated as law enforcement seek to apprehend the callous murderers. We urge our people to pass on any information that could help apprehend all criminals, particularly violent criminals in general and those engaged in GBV in particular. In the same vein, the ANC condemns the killing of six Community Policing Forum outside Qumbu in the Eastern Cape, with four seriously injured.

The ANC condemns in the strongest terms the violent assault of the 6 year old Kwezi Jantjies and his mother, who were run down by a farmer on Friday the 20th September 2024. The mother reportedly sustained slight shoulder injuries whilst the son Khwezi reportedly sustained very serios injuries to both his legs. It is very tragic that such acts of barbarism were conducted by the farmer on the apparent mere allegations that the boy of stole some oranges from his farm.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

PUDEMO

The NWC received report on the meeting between the People's United Democratic Movement of eSwatini and the ANC over the attempted assassination of the PUDEMO President Comrade Mlungisi Makhanya. The ANC re-iterates the condemnation of these attempts on the life of Comrade Mlungisi Makhanya and continue to call for a peaceful and democratic settlement of the challenges facing eSwatini.

UNGA

The NWC noted with profound appreciation of South Africa's government continues to play on the international scene, including during the course of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly held on 22 — 23 September which marked a crucial milestone in the global effort to accelerate progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The UNGA provided South Africa with a global platform to highlight positive developments in SA, contextualise the GNU, and reiterate demands for fundamental reform of the global institutions, including the UN Security Council and the participation of the African Continent. UNGA also served as an opportunity to outline SA's priorities for our chairpersonship of the G20 during 2025. These developments demand of the ANC and all progressive forces to intensify work on the international front, including strengthening party-to-party relations and international progressive networks.

The ongoing genocidal offensive by the apartheid Israeli state against the people of Palestine continues unabated with more than 41000 people killed and 96 000 wounded. Increasingly the Israeli offensive is targeting countries in the region, in particular Iran, Lebanon, and Yemen. The assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah, is the latest example of Israel's insatiable appetite for conflict and aggression. These developments threaten to escalate into an overall regional conflict with serious global consequences for peace, stability and the economy. The ANC and progressive forces will continue to intensify solidarity with the people of Palestine and mobilise the widest range of forces around the demand for a cease fire and peace.

The NWC further considered reports on the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and tensions with Rwanda which remain a cause for serious concern, including the safety of SANDF members deployed in their peace keeping capacity. Meanwhile, the ANC sends its condolences to the government and people of the DRC, following the reported death of 240 people, when a boat capsized in Lake Kivu, DRC, on Saturday the 5 October 2024.

The NWC noted that Mozambique will hold general elections on 9 October 2024 and that the Presidential candidates are Daniel Chapo (Frelimo), Ossufo Momade (Renamo), and Lutero Simango (MDM). The ANC re-iterates its stance on the historic solidarity with FRELIMO with whom we have shared trenches in the liberation struggle against colonialism and apartheid. The ANC wishes the people of Mozambique free, fair and peaceful elections.

Other elections to take place in the region include the following:

a) Botswana: Wednesday, 30th October 2024

b) Namibia: Wednesday, 27th November 2024

c) Tanzania: Wednesday, 27th November 2024

We wish our sister parties Chama-chama in Tanzania, Frelimo in Mozambique, Swapo in Namibia great success.

GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY

As we approach the 100 days of GNU, the NWC observed that the GNU continues to inspire confidence and support from amongst a wide range of political parties and sectors of society, including business. This is reflected in both opinion polls, business and consumer confidence indices, the stock and property markets. The ANC is therefore confident that this augurs well for the stability of the country following the outcome of the 2024 National and Provincial Elections.

The ANC will continue to take leading responsibility on the affairs of the GNU to the extent that this must help government to deliver on the promise for a better life for all, with service delivery, job creation, access to education, access to basic healthcare, combating the high costs of living and growing the economy, amongst highlight of this GNU.

These positive outlooks and developments on the ANC-led GNU have catalysed and strengthened the foundation of the efforts spearhead by the President to build social compacts between government, labour, business and civil society. They also bode well for efforts to mobilise much needed resources and investment domestically and internationally.

PROGRESSIVE YOUTH ALLIANCE

The NWC noted the developments on SRC elections, and call on continued building of infrastructure capacity of the NSFAS to discharge its mandate without hindrance.

The NWC further noted the successful convening of the National Conference of COSAS that duly elected its leadership. We congratulate SASCO in the SRC election for a number of victories SASCO has scored in various SRC elections.

MEMBERSHIP SYSTEM

The NWC received update report on the ANC Membership system and was confident that the revamped system will ensure a dynamic organisation consistent with the broad agenda on organisational renewal.

By January 8th next year in Western Cape, preferably in the Cape Metro, we will launch and unveil the new features of the membership system. Our new system is opening up the ANC against gate keeping. Bulk buying of membership will be a thing of the past. Membership system is linked to a programme of political education which is important in terms of qualitative development of membership.

POLITICAL EDUCATION

The NWC also received update report on political education, with emphasis of developing the kind of cadreship consistent with organisational renewal. In October we will launch the ANC's foundational political education courses.

LEGAL MATTERS

On legal matters, the NWC received update on the case with regards the Deployment Committee records. The ANC will study the judgment and chart way forward.

REPATRIATION

The NWC received update on the repatriation of fallen comrades which has been ongoing since the dawn of freedom and democracy in 1994. The current repatriation of fallen comrades who died during the course of the struggle against apartheid and colonialism involves comrades who were buried in Zimbabwe and Zambia which had received impetus from the announcement by the President that their remains would be repatriated.

Notable figures amongst those were the former Secretary General of the ANC, Comrade Duma Nokwe as well as Florence Mophosho and Basil February. This process was however disrupted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are about one thousand (1000) people and combatants that must be repatriated and there is a misconception in the public domain that the ANC is not repatriating everyone. There is a need to get proper information of everyone that needs to be repatriated. This programme continues to unfold and more updates will be made in due course.

We want to commend our government for undertaking and implementing this programme.

ORGANISATIONAL RENEWAL

The ANC will continue to attend to the programmes of organisational renewal, with most regions having convened regional meetings and briefed on the GNU and the outcomes of the NEC Lekgotla.

ALLIANCE

Critical also is to continue strengthening the Alliance and providing leadership to society by engaging all stakeholders and sectors in the ANC led national transformation agenda. The engagements through the Special NEC meeting that will look into the state of the organisation, the Alliance Political Council as well as the upcoming Liberation Movement Summit, amongst others, will constitute part of the ANC programme.

NATIONAL DIALOGUE

The NWC welcomed the developments around the convening of the National Dialogue. All social partners and civil society are being engaged. The ANC supports the National Dialogue.

GAUTENG

The NWC reflected on the developments in Gauteng, which includes Tshwane. There have been ongoing engagements with various parties on all the Metros in Gauteng, these being Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni.

The NWC received a detailed report on Tshwane. Given the level of deterioration of service delivery and governance in the City, the NWC fully supports the need to put in place the type of government of local unity that can urgently address the pressing concerns of the people across the City. This must be the type of government that prioritises all residents of Tshwane, and not only some section of the population.

The approach of the DA that we should either to our and bring back Brink or nothing, is not acceptable to the NWC. The ANC is engaging all parties that are keen to work with us to set up an inclusive, viable and effective coalition government that puts the people of Tshwane first before party political interests. The ANC is continuing engagements with various parties to finalise the matter of the Mayor and the executive team.

We are also discussing a programme that must be rolled out by the new government in the form of a comprehensive minimum programme. We are confident that working with other parties we will elect a new Mayor of Tshwane tomorrow.

We have noted the speculation in the media and social media platforms about the correspondence we sent to the Chairperson of the Gauteng PEC, Cde Panyaza Lesufi. This correspondence deals with internal organizational matters which should be dealt with as such. We therefore condemn in the strongest possible terms disinformation efforts that rely on internal information peddling to achieve particular ends and project the ANC in negative light. The ANC will speak for itself, not through faceless sources.

We did write to Cde Panyaza expressing concern about his public utterances on matters relating to the GNU and the coalitions in local municipalities. This concern was premised on the backdrop of the resolutions of the National Executive Committee in this regard. Cde Panyaza like all other comrades presented himself to the Officials as requestes, got counselling and presented his side of the story. Cde Panyaza provided an explanation that was accepted by the officials. This is consistent with the organizational culture of the ANC, which requires of us to give comrades a hearing when there is reasonable apprehension that their conduct may place the ANC in disrepute.

Cde Panyaza is a leader of the ANC in Gauteng. If there are perceptions through his utterance that suggest there is conflict between Province and National, we have a responsibility to engage with him. Disciplinary action can be taken without consultations with the officials of the ANC. These distortions that somebody was called for discipline, are a total distortion of the facts. Cde Panyaza explained himself. Discipline runs supreme in the ANC.

KWAZULU-NATAL

In relation to KwaZulu-Natal, the NWC affirmed its earlier decision to return to the province and provide feedback to the structures on its own assessment of the state of the organisation in the province.

We also met the Chairperson of the KZN Province, Cde Siboniso Duma and Provincial Secretary, Cde Bheki Mtolo.

They were briefing officials in relation to one municipality and the decision the PEC has taken in respect of that municipal. The reports that they were summoned to face the official on a disciplinary matter are lies. When a member is called before the officials are not called for discipline, but for engagements. The officials are a political structure and not a disciplinary committee.

Issued by Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, National Spokesperson, ANC, 8 October 2024