Declaration of the ANC Limpopo Provincial Council, Polokwane, June 10 2012

As delegates from ANC branches representing the wishes and aspirations of our poor people in Limpopo, gathered on 10 June 2012 at Bolivia Lodge at Polokwane, Peter Mokaba region, to prepare ourselves for the forthcoming ANC national policy conference to be held on 26-29 June 2012 at Midrand Gallagher Estate.

We were joined by our ANC leagues, CONTRALESA and other progressive formations. We received inspiring political inputs from both our Deputy Secretary General, cde Thandi Modise and Provincial Chairperson, cde Cassel Mathale. At the core of their political messages was that during this year of the ANC centenary celebration, as the ANC we should revive the revolutionary traditions of our movement - the traditions and culture of self-sacrifice and commitment to serve our people.  We were inspired by their call for the ANC to refocus its energies not against itself, as it has been the case in the recent past, but towards the strategic vision of the Freedom Charter.

We are impressed as Limpopo province that we will hosting the national centenary celebration which coincides with the Nelson Mandela month. We will this opportunity to strengthen the ANC to continue to be the disciplined force of the left.  

We appreciate the efforts undertaken by our provincial leadership in engaging the ANC national leadership in its concerns in the manner in which the process of putting the ANC-led provincial government under Section 100, 1(b). Whilst we cannot attribute all the service delivery challenges to Section 100, including the delivery of textbooks and medicines in our schools and medical institutions, we are concerned that the placing of our the provincial administration has not significantly improved the situation in certain respects. However, we are pleased that the financial situation of the provincial government has improved. This is a consequence of the co-operation displayed by the provincial and national government leadership in the implementation of Section 100.  It is our view the placing of the province under Section 100 has outlived its relevance, and therefore it must be ended with immediate effect.

We re-affirm our commitment to clean governance at all levels of government.

In line with our 7^th Provincial Congress resolution, we will share our experiences of implementation of Section 100 including recommending the role and function of the ANC when such decisions are taken, so as to re-affirm the centrality of the ANC in governance.

Our PGC was preceded by successful the 7^th ANC provincial congress, in which we emerged united more than ever before, and with clear and revolutionary resolutions to transform South Africa and the world in the interest of poor.  This is despite the attempts within and outside the ANC to question the legitimate outcomes of the provincial congress.

Our 7^th provincial congress resolutions have provided us with a solid political and policy foundation to take to the forthcoming National policy conference, and ultimately the 53^rd national elective congress to be held in December 2012 in Mangaung.

Our PGC was also preceded by political education workshops in all our sub-regions, and unifying regional elective congresses in Sekhukhune, Mopani, Vhembe and Peter Mokaba. These forums of our movement generated hot, but comradely discussions that have taken our province to new political heights to lead our people and deepen our revolutionary resolute towards the national policy and elective conferences.

We will approach these conferences from the perspective for the need fundamental socio-economic transformation in line with the Freedom Charter. We acknowledge our ANC-led government has undertaken a number of socio-economic and political reforms in favour of our people. Indeed, we have done more, and we could have done more. However, the power of white monopoly capital has been the obstacle towards radical change of the conditions of our people.

White monopoly capital in the last 18 years has not only used its power to impose regressive macro-economic policies on our democratically elected government, but it has also transferred the South African generated profits to metropolis centers such as New York and London stock exchange, to the detriment of local investment.

Notwithstanding our government's genuine efforts to change the conditions of our people, we are concerned about the on going levels of poverty, unemployment and class and income inequalities as well as rural-urban divide in South Africa, including our Limpopo province.

We note serious shortcomings in the current draft ANC Strategy and Tactics document, which include but not limited to:

• Failure to identify the strategic opponent of the National Democratic Revolution in the current phase. As delegates we re-affirm white monopoly capital as the strategic opponent of the NDR.
• Poor and under-theorization on why ANC-led movement has not fully utilized its political power demonstrated in the electoral support to fully implement the Freedom Charter.
• Failure to theorize the internal conditions that forced the ANC-led movement to enter into negotiation with white monopoly capital and Apartheid regime, and the socio-economic consequences of this settlement
• Reformist conceptualization of the relationship between capital, state and working class, as mere the unity and struggle of the opposite, without negation of monopoly capital in line with Freedom Charter and other historical documents of the ANC
• The erroneous assumption that monopoly industry can be eliminated through government competition policy
• The analysis of the balance of power is not rooted in the property relations - ownership of the economy, instead it is merely based on electoral strength of the ANC

Whilst we do not subscribe to the mechanical separation of political and economic ‘transitions', we however believe the time has come for the progressive South Africans under the leadership of the ANC, to tackle the growing class inequalities rooted in the unequal access to the productive economic resources such land, mines and banks.

We are concerned that almost everyone in government and our ANC acknowledges that the willing-seller willing buyer land redistribution model has not worked, but there is reluctance and fear nationalize of all productive land, and leased based on developmental imperatives of our people. As delegates, we re-affirm our 7^th provincial congress resolutions on the nationalization of mines and other monopoly industries, and land expropriation without compensation.

We are convinced that the struggle for economic emancipation will require a revolutionary ANC prepared to confront white monopoly capital and its compradorial allies amongst the historically oppressed. We will therefore approach the election of leadership collective based on its revolutionary commitment to lead our people towards economic emancipation - for we are convinced that there is no revolution without revolutionary organization and leadership.

The decade ahead will require an ANC that maintains its anti-imperialist revolutionary outlook and political practice including in our government foreign policy, for if we are to have a revolutionary Africa, the ANC must have a consistent anti-imperialist leadership. 

It is in this context that as branch delegates we call for continuity and change in the national leadership of our ANC, and we will make the names our preferred leadership collective known at an appropriate time. But we will continue to assess the current leadership performance since 2007, and the kind of leadership that will undertake the radical economic program to serve our poor masses.

We re-affirm our 7^th provincial congress resolution for the resolution of the current standoff between the ANC and ANCYL leadership, which has seriously weakened the revolutionary voice of the league. Part of resolving this impasse must include the reinstatement of the ANCYL leaders and engage the ANCYL on its national congress resolution.

We would like to send our heartfelt condolences to the passing away of Asnath Mashamaite - the young woman who was killed on duty whilst driving the train. We condemn this gruesome act and it is a reflection of what women are subjected to despite the political democracy.  

As delegates to this PGC, we also congratulate Ludwick Mamabolo for running and winning the 2012 Comrade Marathon. 

As the ANC, through our government we re-commit ourselves, to creating more conducive environment for the sporting and other talents to thrive in our province. 

The ANC Lives! ANC Leads!

Issued by the ANC Limpopo, June 11 2012

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