The African National Congress On The Record Sessions

9 November 2023

Members of the media welcome to the fortnightly #ANConthrecordsessions.

On the records sessions are interactive sessions with members of the media with a focus on South Africa's contemporary socio-political issues through the lens of the African National Congress. So we are not limited to what I will introduce to today as discussion points.

1. Update on the candidate selection process for Parliament and Provincial Legislatures

The African National Congress (ANC) is deeply committed to fostering democracy and equipping its members to achieve the vision set out in the Freedom Charter.

Our dedication to ensuring that members understand the importance of freedom of speech and ideas in maintaining a long-standing democratic culture is evident through our internal democratic practices.

Despite the challenges involved in balancing openness and structure, we remain committed to continuous self-examination and adapting to changing circumstances to progress towards a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society. By bridging the gap between recognizing the importance of internal democracy and putting it into practice, the ANC is dedicated to serving the best interests of all South Africans, especially the poor.

Verification Process of Candidates:

The party has set out specific criteria for selecting candidates. After the branch nomination process, the ANC undertakes a verification process to ensure that the selected candidates meet the set criteria. The criteria include:

- Proven commitment to the democratic movement and government. The party values its principles and codes of conduct and ensures that its members adhere to them.

- A minimum requirement for serving as an MP or MPL is that candidates possess a post-matric qualification and have the capacity, experience, education or expertise to make a constructive contribution to the relevant legislature or executive.

- No criminal record or charges brought by the NPA (unless the crime was political-related and committed before April 1994). Private prosecutions are excluded unless there are criminal convictions by a court of law.

- No previous suspension of membership for contravening the ANC Code of Conduct and had their membership suspended for any period in the last ten years. This rule applies also when a member is waiting for the outcome of a disciplinary hearing or an appeal.

- Not subject to temporary suspension pending the outcome of a court case or disciplinary hearing.

- Not a subject of a case in which the Integrity Commission and the NEC have finalized and implemented the IC's recommendation for suspending membership or stepping aside from leadership or public office.

- Those who are already public representatives or members of government executives must perform satisfactorily in their performance review.

- All candidates must be vetted for criminal records and make financial and other interest declarations before the final nomination.

- Candidates must agree to a compulsory lifestyle audit or other investigation relevant to the Parliamentary List Committee or Electoral Committee.

This process is currently underway to ensure full compliance with these important criteria and to ensure that ANC's renewal process is not compromised.

The ANC remains committed to being a liberation movement rooted among the people, driven by values that inspire and guide its members. These values include representing the people's interests, addressing their concerns and aspirations, and working towards transforming society while developing every community.

The ANC is committed to a vibrant internal democracy that supports the principle and practice of collective leadership, and its members are ready and willing to serve and make sacrifices in pursuit of the people's cause as a whole.

The above processes ensure that we decisively address our weaknesses to accelerate the people's cause and strive to increase our capacity to plan, coordinate, monitor, and evaluate policy implementation and our impact on the people and society.

Finally, we are committed to upholding and building unity across all sections of society and progressive forces worldwide in the pursuit of social justice.

2. Release of the ANC Coalitions Framework

To ensure compliance with the national framework, it is crucial to review coalitions. As per the framework, the political party that has the majority in any municipality should hold the mayoral position.

However, some leaders have raised concerns about certain coalitions that don't align with the adopted frameworks. This doesn't indicate that coalitions with other parties are forbidden, but rather they must be in line with the voters' interests. It is imperative to scrutinize coalitions to ensure that they are complying with the framework and the will of the people.

We are releasing this framework in the interests of transparency.

3. Register to Vote ANC

The Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa, IEC, has designated the 18th -19th November 2023 as the first open registration weekend in preparation for the 6th National and Provincial Elections taking place in 2024. As South Africa, it is our fundamental right and a great privilege to shape the future of our country.

The upcoming election presents a valuable opportunity for all eligible voters, particularly the youth, to make their voices heard. We should cherish this right and privilege and utilize our power to build successes of the past 29 years, promote and safeguard the achievements of our democracy, and continue to work towards a better future for all.

4. Improvement in Service Delivery

Water Availability in South Africa

South Africa relies heavily on surface water for its water resources, while effluent reuse and desalination make up only a small percentage.

Unfortunately, the country experiences a high level of water loss, with a significant portion of water going unaccounted for. Despite this, South Africa has implemented several water resource development projects to address water scarcity, including the Lesotho Highlands Water Project and the Mzimvubu Water Project.

According to the recent Census 2022, South Africa has made progress in providing communities with water and sanitation services, although some regions still face challenges.

In 2022, over four-fifths or 82,4% of households in the country had access to piped water either inside their dwelling or inside their yard.

• This is an increase in the proportion of households that have access to piped water inside their dwelling, from 32,3% in 2001 to 46,3% in 2011 and in 2022.

The proportion of households that accessed piped water off-site (from a water source outside the yard such as a neighbour or a community stand) halved from 17,9% in 2011 to 8,9% in 2022.

This proportion increased steadily from 74,7% in 2001 to 79, 7% in 2011, and to in 2022.

There has been an increase in the percentage of households that used a flush toilet as their main type of toilet facility during 2001 - 2022 at almost 19%.

The percentage of households that use pit toilets without ventilation or have no form of toilet facility declined to 12.5% and 1.6% respectively.

Households that resided in more urban provinces such as Western Cape (93,9%) and Gauteng (89, 7%) have access to flush toilets.

To ensure efficient service delivery across the country, the sustainability of the water sector in South Africa requires the transformation of water boards. The ANC-led government has reduced the number of water boards and reformed irrigation boards into water user associations.

Highlights in the fight against corruption and crime

South Africa is currently facing a serious issue of crime, which is of utmost concern to the government. Creating a safe and secure environment is critical for the country's economic development and growth. To achieve this, the government is focusing on increasing the visibility of the police, providing them with better training, and improving the resources available at police stations. To combat the crimes that are causing economic disruption, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the National Prosecuting Authority have set up specialized units.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a significant concern in South Africa. The government is making concerted efforts to put an end to violence against women and children. In November 2022, the government held the second Presidential Summit on GBVF to assess the progress of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) implementation, which the government adopted as a comprehensive and effective response to this pandemic.

One of the significant successes is that social partners have united around the NSP. The President has signed three key pieces of legislation into law that provide greater safeguards to survivors of GBV and ensure that perpetrators cannot use legal loopholes to escape prosecution.

Our government is committed to improving the accessibility and functioning of Sexual Offences Courts and expanding the network of Thuthuzela Care Centres. The NSP aims to empower women economically, which is an essential aspect of the plan.

The ANC-led government is making significant strides to curb crime in the country. Our government is working tirelessly to strengthen the South African Police Service (SAPS) and improve the capacity of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and courts to ensure that criminals are brought to justice.

They're even increasing police presence on the streets and setting up specialized teams that focus on specific types of crime!

Our government has been busy recruiting new police personnel, with over 10,000 new police officers already trained and another 10,000 to be recruited and trained in 2023. The results of the specialized police teams are impressive: they've successfully arrested dozens of suspects and secured several convictions related to crimes such as kidnapping, extortion, and illegal mining.

But that's not all - the ANC-led government is also taking firm action to address economic sabotage and related crimes that are causing significant damage to the economy. They've set up Multidisciplinary Economic Infrastructure Task Teams in 20 identified hotspots, and in December 2022, they even instituted a temporary ban on the export of scrap copper cable and certain metals to disrupt criminal syndicates.

The ANC-led government is committed to improving the effectiveness of its fight against crime by using data-driven methods to identify and target crime hotspots. They're even making more funding available for the police, the NPA, and the Special Investigating Unit in this budget.

And the good news doesn't end there - the South African National Defence Force has employed 880 members to support the police in combating criminal activity that targets critical economic infrastructure. The SAPS has established 20 Economic Infrastructure Task Teams throughout the country to protect critical infrastructure and tackle the "construction mafia." As part of Operation Simba, a joint effort by SARS and the NAT JOINTS Energy Safety and Security Priority Committee, a massive criminal syndicate of alleged coal smugglers was dismantled, preventing the loss of over R500 million in tax revenue.

The ANC-led government is committed to fighting crime and ensuring that the people of South Africa are safe and secure.

We are looking forward to a detailed progress update on illicit mining which has beset communities in nearby towns.

6. ANC CONGRATULATES DR JOHN KANI ON HIS INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION

The name John Kani is intrinsically associated with arts, drama and culture as powerful instruments that led to the demise of the apartheid system. Many years in a new democratic dispensation Dr. John Kani graced and adorned our theatrical stages, beautifully promoting our rich heritage, expressing our natural being, our surroundings, our plight and the beauty of the world and its citizens united under the common bond of humanity.

When the history of the struggle for liberation struggle is written and actors in the creative space are engraved in the roll of creative arts and theatre John Kani's name will feature saliently amongst the great pioneers of the artistic industry and international struggle for peace and solidarity. It is a name that will remain in the galaxy of stars and servants of humanity.

John Kani has contributed immensely to promoting the brand of this country and being its ambassador through his work and as an internationalist of notable standing.

In recognition of his contribution domestically and across the globe, his magnanimity through charity work and his principled stance against injustice John Kani was bestowed with the highest honour in the British Kingdom for his role in theatre, drama and arts.

The ANC joins millions of South Africans, and the creative industry, both domestically and globally in celebrating this giant on his massive feat that will adorn the cabinets of our theatres, a treasure that belongs to those who stood on the side of justice, unity, non-racialism, the people of South African and citizens of the world.

Geopolitical Matters

Palestine — Israel War

We note the progress made by the ANC-led government to ensure that world multilateral institutions enforce their international obligations. Our humanity will be judged by how we treat this conflict.

The Secretary-General and the Deputy Secretary General responsible for International Relations will lead a solidarity march initiated by the Provincial leadership in the Western Cape in Cape Town on Saturday. We encourage all peace-loving South Africans in the Western Cape to join us.

We equally dispel the myth that our posture against the conduct of Israel is directed at Jewish people. It is not it is directed at Zionist imperialism. There are many Jewish people who identify with the struggle for Palestine's liberation. We call upon them to join us on Saturday.

The ANC will also launch a national solidarity campaign which will coincide with marking the anniversary of 1947 November 29 the day on which the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to partition the two states.

Issued by Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, National Spokesperson, ANC, 10 November 2023