The ANC Veterans’ League will submit to the ANC a five-step plan in which is pushing for the party to take a no-nonsense approach in dealing with organisational renewal and restoration of the organisation to its former glory days.
Sunday World understands that the veterans are looking to have their plan approved by the party’s Renewal Commission, chaired by ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa.
The league anticipates that the next ANC national executive committee (NEC) meeting, which is expected to sharply focus on the party’s renewal agenda and the work of the Integrity Committee, will adopt the plan, which is outlined in a document titled Renewal or Death: The ANC Running Out of Time!
In the plan, the league wants the (NEC) to adopt an uncompromising stance towards corruption and all forms of misconduct. It believes that by taking an
ethical stance in its organisational and governance work, the party can reclaim the lost moral authority in the political arena.
The league says party is grappling with corruption, which it characterised as a “big problem”. Recently, three high-profile ANC leaders have been in the dock for corruption.
Retired former National Assembly speaker Nosiwiwe Mapisa-Nqakula is facing 12 charges of corruption and one of money laundering for allegedly soliciting bribes during her time as minister of defence. Former sports minister Zizi Kodwa is accused of receiving bribes worth R1.7-million from Enterprise Outsourcing Holdings executive Jehan Mackay in return for tenders. The latest case involves former party national spokesperson Pule Mabe, who has been caught in a R27-million tender fraud scandal.
“All officials of the organisation must lead by example and be the first to be held accountable. Accountability, discipline, and consequence management are extremely critical.
“Absence of any of these breeds anarchy and lack of direction in an organisation. Conference resolutions and other decisions of the ANC must be respected and implemented without prejudice or favour,” the plan reads.
They propose rethinking branch structures because they interact directly with communities. In recent times, ANC branches have weakened considerably, which translated into the party losing ground.
“The ANC branch must be reorganised and led in a manner that does not allow a social distance between the ANC and communities. Evidence from previous engagements indicates that the present branches are not in touch with the masses and are inward-looking and self-serving. The disconnect has made branches dysfunctional and irrelevant.”
The document also outlines new methods for recruiting members, suggesting a minimum criterion for membership in the party. The main requirement involves a screening process in line with the party’s constitution and selection based on the ANC document, Through the Eye of the Needle.
“The organisation must pursue and promote principled unity by encouraging members to engage in an honest, selfless debate where the battle of ideas seeks to enhance the ANC’s standing. In this manner, the party will be developing and promoting intellectual capacity within its ranks,” it reads.
Lastly, the league wants the ANC to demonstrate its unwavering commitment to the principles of unity, non-racialism, non-sexism and a democratic and prosperous society.
“The ANC must be sensitive to inclusivity, ensuring that everyone feels represented in its structures. It must therefore ensure that in its structures there is geographic spread, gender balance, generational mix, non-racial outlook, and capacity as well.”
