Statement of the African National Congress Youth League on the nomination processes towards the 53rd National Conference of the African National Congress on the ocassion of addressing the National Press Club on the 3rd October 2012

The African National Congress Youth League welcomes the decision of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress to officially open the nomination process for leadership to be elected at the 53rd National Conference in Manguang this December 2012.

This process is a reaffirmation of the sacrosanct and democratic principles of the organization that appreciate that leadership is elected for a term and at the conclusion of the term, power reverts back to branches and membership to decide who is best placed to advance the national democratic revolution.

National Conference therefore, and by extension the election of leadership, affords members of the ANC every 5 years an opportunity to assess progress made in advancing the National Democratic Revolution, challenges confronted and the strategies and tactics required to fulfill our mission of creating a non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and united South Africa.

The 53rd National Conference therefore is no different. Manguang is first and foremost about radical and urgent change required in the organization, its policies and leadership, to bring out the society envisioned in the Freedom Charter. It is also about positioning the African National Congress as a progressive radical force of the future, ready to lead society for a further 100 years, intact, united and loyal in serving the people. It is about ensuring the re-emergence of an ANC with sufficient foresight to anticipate and the necessary ability to adapt to new challenges in the world characterized by rapid changes.

The leadership perspective is premised from the fact that organizational renewal must go hand in hand with the organizational being infused with fresh thinking, new ideas and innovation from a younger generation of leaders.

As ANCYL branches prepare to deliberate on the nomination process, we have called on them to think selflessly and take decisions on both policy and leadership issues that project our struggle well beyond our individual and personal needs. The ANCYL believes that in discussing the critical issue of ANC leadership, we should engage in an extensive enquiry, focusing mainly, but not limited to, four central questions:

1. At what stage is the current leadership ANC presently?

2. What is the existing political programme of the ANC and how can it be improved in order to meet the current and future leadership requirements of the ANC?

3. Who are the opponents of the said political programmes of the ANC?; and lastly

4. What leadership qualities are necessary to fulfil the political programme and confront the opponents with vigour and vigilance?

Honest and frank responses to these critical questions will assist the membership of the ANC Youth League and all Mass Democratic Movement formations in discussing the leadership question and ultimately selecting the kind of cadres who can be chosen for positions in the movement.

This approach is not only principled, it also rids the movement of factionalism and the tendency of making leadership preferences before determination of the political programme that should be pursued.

The ANC is celebrating 100 years of its existence and for the ANCYL the leadership question should be dealt with in full consideration of the political programme which the movement resolved should guide the National Liberation Movement post 100 years of its existence.

After adopting the 1948 Programme of Action, the ANCYL leaders canvassed for leadership based on the willingness and readiness of the nominees to push the political programme they had adopted. This is an important lesson which the ANC Youth League 24th National Congress resolved should be our guiding principle in dealing with the leadership question.

At the same congress, we adopted a Programme of Action (POA) for economic freedom in our lifetime. As such, the lens with which we will search for the leadership of the ANC post 100 years of its existence will be the POA for Economic Freedom in Our Lifetime.

This is our assessment of the first question, at what stage is the current leadership ANC presently?

Certain dominant features have defined and characterised the ANC, since its unbanning, and these can be broadly associated with the kind of leadership at the helm of the ANC at the time. Under President Nelson Mandela, the outlook of the ANC was predominantly centred on reconciliation of South African society and relentless attempts to gain acceptance in the global political landscape.

 This was underpinned by efforts of building a new South Africa and strengthening institutions of democracy. When President Nelson Mandela handed over the baton in 1997 and 1999, there was undisputed stability in the country with strong institutions of democracy and total legitimacy of the ANC led government domestically and in the global political space.

The era that followed was on expansion of the values of democracy and tolerance to the rest of the African continent. This was centred on defining and building a clearly defined African agenda.

This effort succeeded, yet at the expense of giving leadership to the South African mission and aspirations, except clearly defined attempts to deracialise the South African capitalist economy through empowerment charters across all spheres of the economy.

Post the ANC 52nd National Conference, virtually all strategic issues of interest, ranging from economic policy, foreign policy and character of the ANC are subjected to constant endless discussion. This is a dangerous phenomenon for the economy as the economy needs economic policy stability and certainty.

A decisive leadership is needed to speak without fear on the economic policy of the country. What scares away investors is not nationalisation of mines or expropriation of land without compensation but an endless discussion on the afore mentioned as it creates economic policy.

 An overall evaluation of the African National Congress since its inception is that it is a matured National Liberation Movement, which engaged in various models of struggle to defeat colonial segregation and oppression for many decades. In the process of growth and development, the ANC adopted the Freedom Charter as a nerve and most vital political programme for the total emancipation of the black majority and Africans in particular.

The ANC won political power through a negotiated political settlement, which meant tactical retreats on many genuine political commitments and programme of the entire National Liberation Movement, yet consolidated political power with the aim of re-invoking it for thoroughgoing socio economic transformation.

The ANC is the legitimate and legal political leader not only of government and the State. Despite the minor and insignificant but necessary components of healthy political opposition, an absolute majority of South Africans accepts and appreciates the ANC's leadership of the State, government and society. Consequently, the people of South Africa have legitimate expectations on what the ANC can and should do to better their lives. Despite the ANC's political leadership of society, the State and government, there is currently little or no effort on the ANC to provide progressive and consistent leadership to the economy.

Despite consolidation of political power, and improved rate in the provision of basic services to majority of the people, the post democratic government has not done well in the transformation of the economy. The ANC did not use the political power at its disposal to transfer the economy from the minority to the people as a whole, a clarion call made by the Freedom Charter.

All credible research outcomes in both Right and Left political spectra agree that South Africa's unemployment levels are at a crisis level, poverty massive and that the country is the most unequal society in the whole world. Everyone agrees that the massive inequalities levels continue to be defined alongside apartheid racial lines which deliberately empowered whites and underdeveloped the black majority and Africans in particular.

The State's narrow and only focus on service delivery without real transformation of the economy altogether missed the point in the struggle to address massive inequalities and poverty. Political freedom without economic emancipation is meaningless.

This is the ANCYL's assessment of the question; what is the existing political programme of the ANC and how can it be improved in order to meet the current and future leadership requirements of the ANC?

The political programme of the ANC Youth League is summed up as that of attainment of "ECONOMIC FREEDOM IN OUR LIFETIME." This simply means that all the economic clauses of the Freedom Charter should be given practical meaning and implemented in our lifetime.

The people sharing in the country's wealth should not just be a clarion call, but should be turned into a concrete programme, which includes Nationalisation of Mines, banks and monopoly industries.

This generation of the ANC Youth League carries a responsibility to defend the Freedom Charter and ensure that all its aims and objectives are realised and implemented. Efforts to undermine the meaning of the Freedom Charter should be isolated from the ANC, and should not even be supported for leadership responsibilities from within the organisation.

What should be appreciated is that all the issues the ANCYL is raising on economic freedom in our lifetime are elementary to the success of the revolution and continued support for the ANC. This programme constitutes our future and we should do everything to defend the principles because this generation will inherit the ANC which cannot blame past injustices for massive inequalities and suffering of our people. Our generation will have to take full responsibility on why young people do not have jobs and why there are no proper houses for all our people.

Therefore the attainment of economic freedom in our lifetime means that we should do everything we can to make sure that the ANC government utilises the mandate of the people to realise all the economic clauses of the Freedom Charter. The Freedom Charter is the strategic mission. The meaning of economic freedom in our lifetime means the attainment of all freedom charter objectives as urgent as possible.

The organisational renewal document presented and adopted at the ANC's National Policy Conference in June this year is a clarion call for a period of renewal. In this regard, it calls for "decisive steps to reverse the negative tendencies that are eroding the political integrity and moral standing of the ANC amongst our people".

To this end, leadership to be nominated must be an visible express of morally acceptable behaviour and conduct that appeals to all South Africans and must have the versality to appeal to a young South Africa. The ANCYL's assessment of the question; who are the opponents of the said political programmes of the ANC? is as follows:

White monopoly and trans-national capital and its representatives. The interests of white monopoly capital are safeguarded wittingly or unwittingly by those opposed to change in the ownership and control of the South African economy.

The interests of white monopoly capital are represented by those who suppress dissent. Trans-national capital which sometimes comes in the form of Foreign Direct Investments has interests that do not converge with the interests of the African National Congress.

Whilst dynamically linked to and integrated in the global economy, the ANC led government should understand the inherent class struggle between the oppressed world and imperialist forces, who in most instances use their economic power to impose their political will on dependent nations. This should be thoroughly understood and South Africa's economic interests positioned to resist trans-national capital that infringes on South Africa's sovereignty and independence.

Understanding the complex nature and character of white monopoly and trans-national capital as an opponent of the National Democratic Revolution requires a certain extent of sophistication at leadership level. The leadership of the ANC's class consciousness should not be blurred, because if it is blurred, the ANC will easily be co-opted to imperialist agendas in the domestic, continental and global political battles. The kind of international political and economic alliances made at this level will be determined by how well the leadership understand the character and nature of imperialism in the 21st century.

Lastly, this is the ANCYL's assessment of the question; what leadership qualities are necessary to fulfil the political programme and confront the opponents with vigour and vigilance?

Primarily, the kind of political leadership that we need is leadership that adheres to our political programme for economic freedom in our lifetime. This we learn from the ANC Youth League founding generation, which clearly and unequivocally placed a political programme before the leadership as a basis of support for election or re-election into a leadership responsibility.

Because the fundamental guidance of the leadership question in the ANC is Through the eye of the needle, it follows that the ultimate test of leadership includes leaders who should necessarily posses the following qualities:

a) striving for convergence between personal interests - material, status and otherwise - and the collective interest;

b) handling conflict in the course of ANC work by understanding its true origins and seeking to resolve it in the context of struggle and in the interest of the ANC;

c) the ability to inspire people in good times and bad; to reinforce members' and society's confidence in the ANC and transformation; and

d) Winning genuine acceptance by the membership, not through suppression, threats or patronage, but by being principled, firm, humble and considerate.

These are values contained in Through the eye of the needle, and when understood with the Programme of Action for Economic Freedom in Our Lifetime, the kind of leadership required for the ANC post 100 years of its existence should posses the following qualities:

a) Sophistication to understand the modern economy and systems of government and ability to generate new ideas and solutions.

b) Understanding of the nature and character of imperialism in the face of attempts to re-colonise the African continent.

c) Versatility that appeals to a young South Africa.

d) Morally acceptable behaviour and conduct to appeal to all South Africans.

e) Fearlessness of the previous oppressor and imperialism.

Guided by through the eye of the needle document " a leader should lead by example. He/she should be above reproach in his/her political and social conduct as defined by our revolutionary morality. Through force of example, he should act as a role model to ANC members and non-members alike. Leading a life that reflects commitment to the strategic goals of the NDR includes not only being free of corrupt practices; it also means actively fighting against corruption.

These are non-negotiable values and qualities required to lead the ANC and South Africa beyond 100 years of the ANC's existence and which should guide the ANC Youth League and ANC's structures discussion of leadership for the 53rd National Conference. All leaders who should be preferred by the ANC Youth League and ANC structures at branch, regional, provincial and national level should possess these fundamental qualities.

The tendencies we have seen of intimidation and even more horrifying of murder particularly in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga must cease. The ANC must act decisively to ensure that all comrades are afforded an opportunity to voice without fear or favour their preferences on leadership without the spectre of victimisation and even death hanging over them.

The ANC Youth League will vigilantly monitor these processes leading to the 53rd Conference through the many young men and women who are members of the ANC Youth League and make up the majority of the ANC. It is these Youth League members that are found in every branch of the ANC that shall emerge as delegates

We are calling on all our structures and ANC branches engaging in the AGMS towards Mangaung conference to ensure that our generational mission is fulfilled and that the following tried, tested and competent comrades are elected:

President: Cde Kgalema Motlanthe and Secretary General: Cde Fikile Mbalula we were further mandated to engage Branches, Regions and Provinces of the ANC on the following names Cde Mathew Phosa preferably as the Deputy President but should further consider Cde Tokyo for the Deputy President or Treasurer-General, Cde Thandi Modise, Cde Paul Mashatile, and Cde Thenjiwe Mtitso.

The ANCYL will further do its official nomination through sufficient consultation with all our structures and ultimately the Extended National Executive Committee Nomination.

Statement issued by the ANC Youth League, October 3 2012

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