ANC YOUTH LEAGUE STATEMENT ON THE OUTCOMES OF THE ANC 3RD NATIONAL GENERAL COUNCIL:
Thursday, 30 September 2010
The African National Congress Youth League attended the 3rd National General Council of the ANC in Durban, KwaZulu Natal as a strong, dedicated and disciplined delegation representing the ANC Youth League. The ANC Youth League's mandates to the ANC NGC were resolutions reviewed and taken by our organisation's 1st National General Council in August 2010 in Johannesburg. These included but not limited to the following:
1. Emphasise on the centrality of the Freedom Charter as the strategic vision and political programme of the ANC.
2. Placing the Nationalisation of Mines debate on the agenda of the African National Congress towards the centenary Conference in 2012.
3. Lobby for the creation of a State Bank to amongst other things, finance the new State Owned Mining corporations and insulate our people from high bank costs.
4. Call for the amendment of Section 25 of Constitution; known as the Property Clause in order to empower the State to expropriate private property in the public interests and for public purpose.
5. Advocate for the principle of organisational generational mix to be re-affirmed in the African National Congress.
6. Advocate for the provision of free sanitary towels to all needy females in South Africa.
7. Advocate for the urgent establishment of Universities in the provinces of Mpumalanga and Northern Cape.
8. Advocate for the prioritisation of youth development and more funding for the NYDA.
9. Call on the ANC NGC to nullify the charges that were laid against ANC Youth League President for expressing political observations.
10. Advocate for political freedom of the people of Swaziland.
11. Lobby for support for the hosting of the 17th World Festival for Youth and Students.
12. Re-affirmation of the ANC as a strategic centre of power.
The National General Council of the ANC took so many plausible resolutions, and the ANC Youth League is overjoyed that what we persuaded the NGC to resolve upon was endorsed by majority of delegates and therefore Council. These are the decisions taken by the ANC NGC on the issues we had identified:
1. Freedom Charter-The Freedom Charter was re-affirmed as the central political programme of the ANC in all the commissions and particularly the Strategy & Tactics of the ANC. Members of the ANC stood firm to defend the centrality and vitality of the Freedom Charter in the life of the ANC.
2. Nationalisation of Mines-the ANC NGC did not only place Nationalisation of Mines as a central issue of discussion, but developed greater consensus on the nationalisation of Mines and other strategic sectors of the economy. The economic transformation commission report and declaration that were adopted by the ANC NGC says, "There was greater consensus in the commission on the nationalisation of mines and other strategic sectors of the economy. The NGC therefore mandated the NEC to ensure further work be done, including research, study tours and discussions, and to report to the Policy Conference for decision at National Conference in 2012". The NGC further resolved on the creation of a State Owned Mining Company and development of a Mining sector strategy as proposed by the ANC Youth League. This resolution perfectly expresses what the ANC Youth League expected the ANC National General Council to do, and provides a platform to investigate the best models and strategies on how the State will take ownership and control of Mines in South Africa in a manner that is not potentially disastrous.
3. The resolution on State Bank reads, "The NGC agreed on the creation of a state bank, either as a new institution or a retooled Postbank, which would require intensive capitalization". The State Bank should be immediately established to insulate poor South Africans from high costs of banking, but should also provide credit facility for housing and vehicle finance.
4. The NGC could not conclude on the amendment of the Property Clause, but agreed to expedite the amendment of the Expropriation Act of 1975, and emphasised that the proposed Expropriation Bill should shift the emphasis away from the "willing-buyer-willing-seller" principle as the only determining factor in government's acquisition of land for redistribution". The ANC Youth League will together with other progressive forces, continue to campaign for the amendment of the Property Clause to give the State power to expropriate in the public interests and for public purpose.
5. Plenary discussions on organisational renewal re-emphasised the principle of generational mix as a principle that should guide ANC structures in selection of leadership at various levels.
6. There was a resolution on the provision of free sanitary towels and we will intensify the campaign to ensure that it is practicalised as urgent as possible.
7. The ANC National General Council resolved on the urgent establishment of Universities in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape. The ANC Youth League celebrates that this is the first time a structure of the ANC takes this resolution at a national level, after the ANC YL 23rd national congress had resolved to intensify the lobby in 2008.
8. Youth development cuts across all the resolutions taken in the NGC and we are glad the centrality of education as an instrument of youth development was once more emphasised. A framework now exists upon which we will lobby for more funds for the NYDA.
9. Although the ANC NGC could not nullify the charges against ANC Youth League President, a strong voice not only from ANC YL delegation, but from ANC delegates was raised to object to the charges that were laid against the President in Commissions and in plenary discussions. A resolution could not be taken because the ANC leadership emphasised that the NGC was not the platform to manage issues of disciplinary hearing.
10. ANC adopted a clearer stance on the Swaziland question and vowed to intensify its work to ensure that the people of Swaziland enjoy political freedoms.
11. The ANC NGC resolved that the government should provide all necessary support for the successful hosting of the 17th World Festival for Youth and Students.
12. The resolution on the Strategy & Tactics re-affirmed that "the ANC continues to be the strategic centre of power, the leader of the Alliance, a disciplined force of the left, and a mass movement with an internationalist and an anti-imperialist outlook".
General Observations:
The central theme of the NGC was that of discipline and adherence to organisational principles and decisions. The ANC Youth League is fully behind the re-emphasis on discipline because we are aware that in the organisation, discipline does not exist for its own sake, but a weapon of struggle and transformation, which will forever safeguard the unity of the movement, and ensure that it is able to fulfil its historic mission and achieve its objectives. The ANC Youth League particularly appreciates the organisational renewal resolution that discipline should be applied consistently.
Discipline in the ANC is very important, particularly the discipline of properly understanding and communicating decisions of the ANC, including the greater consensus on the nationalisation of Mines and other strategic sectors of the economy. The ANC Youth League raises this point because some members of the Economic Transformation Commission continue to communicate wrong decisions to public and creating wrong impressions on what should happen moving forward.
The resolutions and policy directives given by the NGC are now a collective outcome of the ANC, and no component of the organisation should claim those resolutions as theirs because such does not help in building cohesion in the organisation. The ANC should also move vigorously to frankly take society along on all the resolutions taken, particularly those that will lead to change of the structure of the economy, because it is not going to help anyone to surprise people in 2012 when some of the resolutions are finalised as policy programmes of the ANC government. We need to learn to communicate change whenever there is change, because if we say there is no change, we create confusion amongst the people as to what were the reasons of us meeting in the first place.
Way Forward:
The ANC Youth League will continue to mobilise society and ANC structures to support programmes that will lead to radical economic transformation in South Africa. The ANC National General Council has demonstrated beyond reproach that most of society wants change as urgent as possible, and as a reliable agent for change, the ANC Youth League will ensure that progressive change is effected and all obstacles to the progressive agenda removed.
The NGC of the ANC has given us more strength and courage to fight with discipline and dedication towards the 53rd National Conference of the ANC in 2012. We call on all progressive forces of change to fight with dedication, discipline and focus. Victory is certain and we shall overcome.
Statement issued by the ANC Youth League, September 30 2010
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