ANC GAUTENG PROVINCE IS READY FOR THE NGC: PLACING THE NEEDS OF OUR PEOPLE AT THE CENTRE OF NGC DISCUSSIONS
On Monday 5th October 2015, the African National Congress in Gauteng Province convened a meeting of all delegates to finalise the preparations for the 4th National General Council (NGC).
The meeting was convened to consolidate the province’s inputs to the NGC following extensive and robust engagements in our structures on the NGC documents. ANC branches and zones held general meetings and zonal workshops to critically analyse the changed economic, social and political context since the 53rd National Conference held in Mangaung in December 2012. Guided by the NGC documents, they have further sought to identify progress, development challenges and the implementation of resolutions adopted at the 53rd National Conference.
Consequently, we have reviewed the policy implementation since the last NGC held in Durban in 2010 and the 53rd National Conference to date.
ANC Gauteng Province is unequivocal in its view that the African National Congress as a disciplined force of the left movement, continues to espouse progressive policies whose decisive implementation has the potential and capacity to push back the frontiers of poverty, reduce inequality and create decent jobs; the cornerstone of our people’s demands. It is our strong belief that both the ANC and the state institutions need to pay urgent attention to the pace and capacity to implement and execute radical policies and programmes.
Both the 2010 NGC and the 2012 National Conference called for urgent, bold and accelerated action to give further impetus to a more radical second transition to a National Democratic Society. Therefore, the 4th NGC must assess the extent to which we are realizing this objective and critically engage on how we must speed up implementation.
As Gauteng Province, we shall further propose enhanced monitoring and evaluation capacity in the Office of the Secretary General, including the development of an annual report on the execution of National Conference Resolutions and NEC decisions.
On specific policy areas, we have resolved to lobby the NGC to consider the following as part of the Policy Review process:
Economic Transformation
Our movement must do more to fundamentally alter the colonial structure of the economy. While some progress has been made in improving the day-to-day realities of millions of South Africans, the economy still remains largely untransformed and concentrated in the hands of the few. South Africa is still an exporter of primary commodities, while simultaneously being an importer of value added and manufactured goods. We need to invest in industrial infrastructure and skills to facilitate mineral beneficiation locally.
Amongst these will be development of industrial incentives to support the revitalisation of the township economy and the amendment of the Preferential Procurement Act to facilitate set-asides through national, provincial and local government procurement in order to empower village and township enterprises.
We are further calling for a commitment of 2.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to research and development and the endorsement of government’s current countercyclical fiscal policy ensuring that further investments are made in key infrastructure (transport, housing, energy and water) to give impetus to rapid growth and development.
Delegates reaffirmed the 12th ANC Gauteng Provincial Conference resolution that e-tolls in their current form are not acceptable. While we commend the concessions made by government to date, the ANC should continue to engage with society to mitigate against any further unintended consequences on our people. There should be speed in the implementation of the concessions made by government.
Some of the challenges experienced by the State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) reflect deep problems of governance, which in turn impact on their effectiveness as the state’s primary leverage to lead economic development. The objectives set out in the NDP will not be attained if these systemic problems are not addressed. We are calling for decisive intervention to resolve all the issues.
Social transformation
In education, four critical issues, are of serious concern: In the higher education sector: societal attitude towards vocational and technical training, poor capacitation of historically-black universities, rigidity in transforming curricula and culture in the historically- white universities, as well as shortfalls in NSFAS and high fees for even the middle strata. NGC should deliberate on concrete action to address these challenges, develop critical and scarce skills and increase access and transformation.
ANC Gauteng Province has resolved to call for the acceleration of the implementation of the Freedom Charter demand for free education up to at least undergraduate level. This was also resolved at the 53rd National Conference. Our criminal justice cluster must be stabilized and strengthened in order to effectively deal with the unacceptably high levels of crime, particularly in Gauteng.
International Relations
ANC Gauteng Province welcomes the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as part of an ambitious and transformational global agenda giving attention to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable.
The NGC must make proposals on how we embed the SDGs in government’s planning and funding framework. South Africa must increase its leadership role in promoting the African Renaissance and in partnering with anchor regional ‘hegemons’ on the continent.
As we advance towards the 4th National General Council, we reaffirm our confidence in the entire ANC national leadership elected at the 53rd National Conference held in Mangaung in 2012. Our national leadership should continue to implement all the Resolutions adopted at the 53rd National Conference. We commend the significant strides that have been made by the ANC government to build a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous society. Much more still needs to be done, to advance our transition to a National Democratic Society.
The NGC must assist the organisation to not only confront and deal with its own internal challenges but to ensure that the ANC remains focused on serving the people and in leading them in the task of radical social and economic transformation.
In this regard, we need a united and cohesive plan, with the necessary capacity and capability to lead and inspire our nation to work for a vision of a truly non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, united and prosperous South Africa. Any attempt to use the NGC to divide the national officials of our movement will be resisted and dismissed with all the contempt it deserves.
Issued by Hope Mankwana Papo, ANC Gauteng Provincial Secretary, 7 October 2015
