African National Congress (ANC) branches must be allowed to think for themselves and leadership choices must not be dictated by a "well-resourced, narrow circle" of party members, ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said on Tuesday. "Branches must be allowed to say 'that comrade did not do the work that he or she was given to do. Change that comrade'. And we are saying that culture must continue," he said at a media conference in Johannesburg.
The conference followed a four-day meeting of the ANC's national executive committee, which ended on Monday night. "But if we do what is called succession, you are actually killing the branches of the ANC. Branches of the ANC must be allowed to think and not be given a list of slates developed by a narrow, well-resourced circle in the ANC... That is a leadership responsibility; to liberate these branches from the vice of groupings that are intelligent, have the monopoly of wisdom, have resources, have a lot of cash-flow around elections... We must liberate the ANC from that."
He said nationalisation of the mines could not be used as a tool for punting leaders ahead of the next year's elective conference. "We must sustain nationalisation as a policy debate. You can't use a policy debate as a lobbying tool," he said.
The NEC met as the party's national officials – the top six leaders – brought disciplinary charges against ANC Youth League president Julius Malema and league spokesperson Floyd Shivambu. The charges related to comments critical of the Botswana government and about helping to strengthen opposition in that country.
Malema had said the league would support leaders, when the ANC went to its elective conference next year, who supported the league's economic programme including nationalisation of the mines and land reform without compensation.
Mantashe said the issues raised in the debate around nationalisation were pertinent, it was a "correct debate". "You can't use it as some mischievous tool of lobbying," he said. The debate had to be "anchored" in the content. The NEC re-affirmed its position on the so-called "succession debate" – that it was not yet opened for discussion. The ANC holds its next elective conference in December next year. The ANCYL and the Gauteng chapter of the party called for the opening of the debate on identifying the leadership to be elected at the conference in Mangaung.
Even some within the NEC wanted the leadership debate to be opened – Gauteng provincial chairperson, Paul Mashatile, made the call earlier this year. Malema, an ex-officio member of the NEC, also agitated for the opening of the debate at the league's own elective conference in June. "The fact that we had to remind the NEC of all the procedures, traditions and how these issues are handled in the ANC was informed by the observation that there was temptation in many structures of the ANC to jump the gun and start the nomination process today," Mantashe said.
He likened the ANC to an elephant – very slow, but very decisive when it started moving. "We reminded ourselves that we did take this decision and as members of the NEC there is an expectation that we must be loyal to our own decisions. That is part of that slow movement of an old organisation." The run-up to the Polokwane elective conference, during which President Jacob Zuma ousted former president Thabo Mbeki after a divisive leadership battle, was a "disaster", Mantashe said.
He said there would be no "silencing anybody" ahead of the 2012 conference. Lobbying should be done with respect. He was responding to questions on the disciplinary action taken against Malema. "So there is nothing political or silencing anybody. "Once you appreciate that election in 2012 is not a life and death issue for individuals, then you appreciate that there is a responsibility on this leadership to enforce discipline whether you are elected or not. "Whether you are liked or hated it doesn't matter, the organisation must not be allowed to collapse because you want to be popular and you want to be re-elected. It can't be allowed to happen... there is a term of five years, it ends in the 53rd national conference [2012]. "When we are told to stand off the stage, that is the end of our term. Before that any thing that happens, we are responsible. "Otherwise lobbying can be an open season of ill discipline, it cannot be allowed."
Mantashe described the meeting – which largely focused on discipline – as "candid and open". "That's why it took four days. It ended at 9 on Monday, day four. "We left that meeting understanding each other better."
Source: Polity
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