ANC Provincial Executive Committee media statement
15 February 2017
The ANC Provincial Executive Committee held its first meeting of the year 2017 from the 4th – 6thFebruary 2017 at Umfolozi Casino, Musa Dladla Region. The duration of the meeting combined both an ordinary PEC meeting and the ANC Annual Provincial Lekgotla which considers and adopt an annual program of action the movement and its government. The PEC received an extensive political overview presented by the ANC Provincial Chairperson Comrade Sihle Zikalala.
The PEC held a robust and focused discussion on the challenges facing our people in particular and the movement. The PEC departed from a deep conviction that the unity of the African National Congress is fundamental for the success of the national democratic revolution.
As we begin the 2017, the Year OR Tambo: Let us Deepen Unity, we are more determined and committed to the unity of ANC in our province and will also make significant contribution in the unity of the ANC towards the 54th national conference.
ON EDUCATION
Education remains an apex priority of the African National Congress and its government. The PEC noted the progress made by the ANC led government in improving the metric pass rate in our province. We congratulate the hard working learners, teachers and School Governing (SGBs) Bodies whose outstanding contributions led to the success we celebrate today. Of course a great deal of work still needs to be done for us to achieve further advances on education of our children as the future leaders of the society.
The PEC has directed that each and every elected leader of the ANC from the branch to the PEC and all public representations must adopt at least two schools. This new approach will ensure a sustained contact between the movement and various schools in our province and help improve their functionality. This is intended to give a practical and visible leadership to the call by President Cde Jacob Zuma that education must be a societal responsibility.
ON RADICAL ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION
The Provincial Executive Committee had an opportunity to determine key tasks that must constitute radical economic transformation in KwaZulu-Natal. We are of the firm view that more practical steps are required to change economic ownership patterns in our province. In this regard the PEC has decided that:
- the land remains the catalyst for mainstream economic participation, ownership and control. The government has to expedite the Expropriation bill to speed up land reform in our country.
- the ANC led government must accelerate what we have defined as Radical Agrarian Socio-Economic Transformation programme (RASET) – the Operation Vula.
- this programme is aimed at transforming the agricultural sector by bringing the historically disadvantaged people into the entire value chain of agricultural produce – from production to distribution and access to the markets.
- SMMEs and Cooperatives will be incubated on the prioritized commodities and will supply these commodities to the government owned and operated Development Agencies/Fresh Produce Markets in all our Districts.
- Government buying power through the Department of Education with its School Nutrition Programme, Department of Health, Department of Social Development and Correctional Services to buy these products from the District Agencies.
By doing this, we would have secured a lasting market for the SMMEs and Cooperatives as well expanding beneficiaries.
This is a summary of what will constitute the ANC programme of radical socio-economic transformation to speed up change in our province. This is a programme that we will pursue with and behalf of the masses of our people.
ON GOVERNMENT SUMMIT
The PEC has decided to convene a Government Summit within the next few weeks in order to ensure a complete alignment and synergy between the decisions of the ANC and the government programmes. A success of any government depends, among others, on a tight coordination to avoid duplication of tasks and ensure that departments complement each other effectively.
The ANC Government Summit will provide a platform for all Provincial Departments and Municipalities to strengthen coordination and responsiveness. We have made an undertaking in our 2017 January 8thstatement to improve the capacity of the ANC led government in providing efficient and effective services to the masses of our people. The ANC only exists to serve our people and it is our obligation to continuously improve the state capability to serve our people.
ON RISING LEVELS OF KILLINGS
The PEC expresses its deepest condolences to the families, relatives and friends of many of our people who have brutal killed over the past few months. It is a matter of grave concern to the ANC that there is a rising level of assassination and callous killings of our people in various part of the province.
We remain confident that the Commission of Inquiry established by the Premier, Cde Willies Mchunu will shed light on these killings. We call upon Law Enforcement Agencies to act against killers who have no respect for human life. We equally encourage all our people to join hands in all efforts to identify and isolate these criminals whose agenda is to undermine our resolve to build a safe province.
ON NQUTHU LOCAL MUNICIPALITY
The PEC has been deeply concerned about the state of Nquthu Local Municipality which had failed too many times to convene a successful Council meeting in order to elect Office Bears. Of concerned to us was the fact that the ongoing mayhem completely obliterated the capacity of the municipality to provide services to the masses of our people.
We warmly welcome and we are fully behind the decision taken by the Provincial Government to intervene and dissolve that council in order to pave the way for stability. We call upon the ANC supporters and the people of Nquthu in general to rally behind this progressive decision which will to lead to stability in that area.
The PEC calls on all ANC members from the affected wards to prepare themselves for the by-elections so that the movement emerges victorious.
ON STATE OF THE NATIONAL ADDRESS
The PEC welcomes the State of Nation Addressed delivered by President Jacob Zuma in Parliament last week Thursday. The President has correctly and concretely captured the current state of the nation and the tasks for the ANC led government for the next financial year.
We condemn in the strongest terms and with the contempt it deserves the behavior of the opposition parties whose conduct undermined the decorum of our parliament. The African National Congress will neither be deterred nor provoked by this act of hooliganism which was televised during the state of the nation address.
We salute President Zuma for remaining focused and refused to be detracted by provocateurs who are working with monopoly capital. Our programme of radical economic transformation will not be compromised by these forces. The struggle will continue and victory is certain.
ON THE ANC 54th NATIONAL CONFERENCE
The PEC held an extensive discussion on the future of our movement and our country in general. We have characterized the forthcoming National Policy Conference and later the 54th National Conference as important platforms in shaping the fate of our country and the destiny of our people.
A meeting of a Joint Provincial Executive Committees of the ANC, SACP, COSATU, SANCO, ANCYL, ANCWL, ANCVL and MKVA took place on Sunday, 12th February 2017. This was the first of its kind convened primarily ensure unity of the movement and to reflect on the domestic and international balance of forces and their impact on the pace and content of the programme of social transformation.
As ANC KwaZulu-Natal, we are ready and prepared to make a decisive contribution in uniting the movement so that it emerges from the 54th National Conference more solid and focused on the current tasks of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR).
The lessons and knowledge we have acquired over the past two decades puts us in a better position to lead the South African revolution to its logical conclusion. Hence the PEC is firmly convinced that the unity of the ANC is more important now than ever before during the course of our struggle for freedom.
In this, the year of OR Tambo an outstanding cadre of our movement whose legacy we celebrate this year, the PEC will work even harder to unite the ANC membership across the province.
Issued by Mdumiseni Ntuli, Provincial Spokesperson, ANC KZN, 15 February 2017
