ANC STATEMENT ON THE SPECIAL NEC HELD IN TSHWANE ON THE 19th - 22nd August 2011

The African National Congress met in St. George Hotel, Tshwane for four days (19 - 22 August 2011), in a special NEC to discuss a variety of issues that reflect on the organization, its leagues and the alliance.  An overview by the President of the ANC Comrade Jacob Zuma laid the basis for the four day discussion.  Amongst other matters that were contained in the overview were organizational building and renewal, discipline, responsibilities of the NEC as well as international relations. 

Additional focus areas raised by the meeting were the issue of the centenary celebrations of the ANC and the third national policy conference in 2012 and the Road to the 53rd National Conference of the ANC.

The outcome of the four day deliberations which in the main focused more rigorously on the workings of the internal structures of the ANC, the leagues and the alliance will be packaged and distributed to all these structures.

ANC NEC Centenary work

As we prepare ourselves for the watershed hundredth anniversary of the ANC, the Special NEC has agreed to double its efforts in enhancing its work on the centenary.  The centenary will highlight the struggles against colonialism and apartheid, resilience under extreme oppression, the loses and successes that confronted the people of South Africa united in their diversity under the leadership of the ANC to remove colonial and apartheid rule, free the people of South Africa from the yoke of oppression and build a united non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, prosperous society. 

In its hundred years, the ANC has emerged as the source of hope and the champion of those who found themselves at the wrong end of repressive and exploitative racist government policies.  In celebrating its centenary, the ANC will be hosting a year long mother of all celebrations which will be a lasting legacy for generations to come.

In this regard the NEC members will be deployed to all ANC branches, localities and communities to kick-start work towards the centenary celebrations next year.  NEC members will work with lower structures and members of the ANC on the ground to mobilise the entire South African community for the ANC celebrations next year.  This mobilization work will amongst others include identifying historic occurances in the course of the hundred years in each location so that these can be commemorated next year.

The community mobilization work will also include the identification of individuals in these localities who have played a pivotal role in the struggles for liberation and democratization of our country led by the ANC and other liberation forces.  To facilitate this, the ANC has started to establish Branch, Sub-regional and Regional Centenary Task Teams to support and complement work of the National and Provincial Centenary Task Teams in ensuring that ANC branches and communities play a direct role in the celebration of the ANC Centenary next year.

The National Centenary Task Team is finalizing the year long 2012 programme of the Centenary celebrations.  As part of the build up to the centenary, the ANC will intensify its drive to achieve the 1 million members by the 8th of January 2012.  The million membership drive has also been identified as a priority in terms of strengthening the organization and thus consolidating it as the biggest political party in the country.

The third policy conference

The Special ANC NEC has directed all ANC policy Sub-committees and structures to focus on the preparations for the third Policy Conference in May 2012. This important review of ANC policies and possible crafting of new policies will unfold alongside the centenary work and the Road Map toward the 2012 National Elective Conference in Mangaung.  It is expected that by the end of November 2011, a consolidated framework for policy discussions will be in place.  It is expected that the discussion documents on policy development and review will be circulated to ANC branches by the beginning of 2012.

This review will focus on the reconstruction and development of our country including the five priority areas identified in the current term of government.  The review that will be conducted will assist in evaluating where there has been limited success in terms of the work that government does.  A policy paper will be produced and circulated to all structures of the organization including the alliance partners to ensure that they enrich the discussions.

It is the view of the Special NEC that the review of policies should be to fast-track the achievement of socio-economic equality for all South Africans, particularly those who were on the receiving end of colonial and apartheid policies.  This will also ensure that our policies are responsive to the situation affecting the South African society.  The biggest challenges facing the ANC and its government is high unemployment, poverty and growing inequality alongside the improvement of the education and healthcare systems.

Discipline

The special NEC has decried the erosion of discipline within the structures of the African National Congress.  Incidents of ill-discipline conduct in the recent past, that include the attack by ANC members on ANC provincial secretaries in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape including the deliberate destruction of ANC properties in those provinces, has emerged as a serious cause for concern. 

The special NEC has directed all structures of the organization including the National Officials, NWC, PECs, RECs and branches to act decisively against conducts of ill-discipline.  This will be in keeping with the 2010 NGC Resolution.  Our failure to act against all forms of ill-discipline will result in us losing the respect that the ANC has within the South African society, within SADC, within the continent and in the rest of the world.

On the so-called 2012 succession debate

The Special NEC has again re-affirmed the nomination procedures for any leadership positions in the African National Congress, including nominations of leadership positions for the 2012 ANC national elective conference.

The nomination procedures and practices as reflected in our Constitution clearly states that branches of the ANC in the run up to any conference will have the right to nominate people in good standing to serve in whatever leadership position.  The Constitution also states that the nomination season will be opened within the organization at an appropriate time before an elective conference.

The Special NEC has directed all our structures including the leagues and provinces to desist from engaging in any discussion that seeks to undermine the established nomination procedures and practices for electing ANC leadership.  Any continuation on the part of any person or any structure to undermine the Constitution regarding this matter will henceforth be construed as defiance and violation of standing ANC practices and procedures.

This was informed by the understanding that the evaluation of the performance of all leadership structures should be an ongoing experience.

On Corruption

The meeting re-affirmed the ANC stance and committement against acts of corruption in all its manifestations, particularly as they relate to all our government spheres and in the private sector.  In this regard, the ANC calls on all ANC structures and society to identify and root out all forms of corruption that are plaguing our society.

We are also calling upon all societal organs to work with our law enforcement structures in rooting out corruption.  We also call on all our structures and communities to work closely with Chapter 9 institutions that are concerned with fighting crime and corruption.  We believe that it is not only our patriotic duty to act against corruption and criminality but it is equally our revolutionary duty.

Serious concern was registered on the violent nature of recent strikes that include trashing of streets, assaulting of people and looting of hawkers' wares by the strikers.  These actions undermine our rule of law and the objectives of strike actions. The meeting called on all relevant state institutions to act against these acts of violence and it also called on Cosatu to give effective leadership to its affiliates regarding strike action.

International Policy

The meeting reaffirmed the primacy of the African Continent in our foreign policy.  The meeting agreed that the ANC and its government must continue playing a positive and developmental role in the continent.  A detailed report will be tabled to the September 2011 NEC meeting for discussion.

Statement issued by Gwede Mantashe, ANC Secretary General, August 23 2011

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