ANC NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING STATEMENT 25-27 NOVEMBER 2011

The ANC held its last NEC meeting for the year at the Philliip Sanders Resort in Mangaung on the 25th - 27th November 2011.  Its focus was on the pending centenary celebrations, completing organizational issues and considered the presentation for the ANC's national policy conference scheduled to take place next year in June.

Centenary

The NEC received a report from the National Centenary Task Team (NCTT) on the state of readiness.  We also conducted an inspection in loco of the significant sites where the celebrations will be hosted.  The NEC commended the team led by Comrade Baleka Mbete for having covered a significant ground in their preparations. The NEC has endorsed the work done and is looking forward to staging historic events for whole year in 2012, that will register milestones in the long walk to freedom by all South Africans.

Organisational issues

An assessment of the NEC Sub-committees was done, thus completing the assessment of the state of organization. All the committees are functional and are engaging in the formulation of policy and monitoring implementation.  The deployment of many NEC members to other responsibilities stretches them to a point of making attendance of meetings erratic.  But we are satisfied with the volume and quality of working coming out of these sub-committees.

We also considered issues related to the need for intensification of political education, building and consolidating our campaign towards one million members.  We are convinced that we have reached our target and we may have even exceeded it.  This will be confirmed by the membership audit that is currently underway.

The meeting also raised concerns about the continued leakages of confidential information arising out of ANC NEC and NWC meetings.  This tendency was strongly criticized as it reduced national leaders of the ANC to being sources of journalists.  Concern was also raised on the conduct of some members and leaders of the ANC who use public platforms to attack the organization.  It was agreed that the National Officials will look into this matter with a view to discouraging such conduct.

Policy conference preparation

The meeting also discuss at length preparations for the pending policy conference scheduled to place in June next year.  The plans are firmly underway.  Draft policy documents were presented and sub-committees were directed to do further refinement.  There was also a specific directive that sub-committees do a detailed analysis of the existing policies, identify weaknesses in implementation and make policy proposals where there are serious gaps.  We resolved to convene an NEC meeting for five days in January to finalise all policy proposals that will be consolidated into one Umrhabulo document and be circulated to all ANC branches by the end of January 2012 for discussion in preparation for the conference.

50th anniversary of MK

The NEC has also resolved to intensify preparations for the 50th anniversary of Umkhonto Wesizwe which is scheduled to be celebrated on December 16, 2012.  The Gauteng province which is the host province will engage its branches to ensure that the celebrations become a resounding success and as well as a build up activity for the centenary celebrations next year.

Adherence to policy

The NEC meeting dealt with the issue of people who act outside of the ANC policies.  It was agreed that people join the ANC voluntarily as individuals and are bound by organizational policies.  The conduct of members acting as free agents is a non option, equally public representatives of the ANC are holding public offices at the instance of the African National Congress. They are therefore bound by policy directives of the ANC and not their whims and thoughts.

Alliance programme

The alliance programme of action was endorsed.  The Alliance Secretariat is now charged with the task of ensuring implementation of the programme.

International issues

The issue of the financial crisis that is currently crippling governance in the European Union was discussed within the context of its impact on the developing economies and South Africa in particular.  The meeting acknowledged that European Union as a trade bloc will have an impact in the country particularly in our GDP and our target of jobs that needs to be created.  The meeting agreed that the Economic Transformation Committee (ETC) will have to investigate in partnership with the private sector how we can confront this issue decisively within the framework of the New Growth Path.

The Sub-committee on International Relations also briefed the meeting on the COP 17 programme and the position to be presented by South Africa to the conference.  The meeting acknowledged that the Climate Change Conference was indeed a significant initiative.  It was agreed that South Africa as the third African country to Preside and host this conference, and we welcome the confidence that the United Nations has on South Africa.

The meeting also agreed that while South Africa agrees with the objectives of the COP initiative. our representatives must argue a case for developing countries who still have to contend with development needs and the need to reduce human induced climate change.  In this regard, the ANC is of the view that developed economies that account for most emission of greenhouse gases must bear the bigger responsibility to tackle this challenge.  In this regard the ANC argued for a gradualist approach to developing countries.  The ANC wishes the delegates successful Durban COP 17, wherein parties work together to save tomorrow today.

We also discussed the importance of South Africa taking a lead in partnership with other countries within the ambit of the AU, to finding a solution to the problem of Libya which is proving to be a challenge given the internal dynamics that will require the African Union to engage both the Libyans and the Arab League in assisting to bring closure to a situation that may still spiral out of control.

Statement issued by Gwede Mantashe, ANC Secretary General, November 28 2011

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