Party in need of change

The ANC’s National General Council (NGC) has come and gone. The outcome of the mid-term review meeting proved once again that the ANC has the best policies.

It highlighted that the party’s great challenge is the conversion of policies into programmes of economic growth and social development.

Now the ANC needs to wield the hatchet against its own ministers, MECs, councillors and officials to accelerate the delivery rate of development. Otherwise the three days of mid-term introspection at its NGC meeting will be another wasted opportunity.

Over two decades, the ANC and its government have implemented a set of economic and social development policies which have laid a firm foundation for sustainable growth.

But, as has been highlighted on numerous occasions, the biggest obstacle to quality economic growth has been the ANC’s alliance with the communist in government.

There have been mixed messages coming from the corridors of the state about official government economic policies, namely Growth Employment And Redistribution (GEAR) and now the National Development Plan (NDP).

There has been a veiled opposition to GEAR and NDP from alliance partners, and that created serious doubt within investors about the government’s commitment to its own economic policies. And while this doubt exists, the private sector is unlikely to invest in the country’s economy.

Another obstacle is the absence of a quality, decisive, bold and innovative leadership by politicians as well as an efficient and caring civil service capable of turning policies into programmes that provide basic essential services.

While the NGC dedicated more time to the refinement of the existing policies, its more effective execution is what is mostly needed to tackle the challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality once and for all. Now the focus should turn to an aggressive process of implementing the policies. And those politicians and officials that fail the task should be relieved of their mandates.

The NGC also reaffirmed that the ANC’s internal democracy is the basic requirement for a proper functioning ANC and good performing state, and therefore is a non-negotiable principle within the ANC.

However President Zuma and secretary-general Gwede Mantashe’s political and organisational reports painted a dire picture of the internal state of the ANC.

They revealed that the ANC’s membership had dropped to 769 870, a drop of 450 187 members in three years and that dysfunctional state services, ill-discipline, factionalism, hooliganism, violence, lack of contact and corrupt leaders had severely damaged the party’s image.

“Some of our traditional voters have in recent years become dissatisfied and some have chosen to abstain during elections, demonstrating their displeasure while still remaining loyal to the ANC,” Zuma said.

Despite a century-old struggle credentials and two decades of remarkable achievements as a ruling party, the ANC seems to be losing political appeal. The big question is: Why are the ANC’s membership and support bases dwindling?

It is an open secret that the ANC faces organisational challenges which have turned branches into battlefields characterised by lack of internal democracy, unhealthy competition for positions, factionalism, backstabbing, gossip, “gate-keeping”, hatred, ill-discipline, character assassination, chaos, conflict and even killings.

Most ANC branches have become no-go areas for any voice of reason. The politics of personality, coupled with politics of self-enrichment and patronage that are rooted in the branches is threatening to tear the ANC apart.

And an area that requires specific focus is an effective organisational strategy that embraces the ANC’s tradition, wider political democracy, government challenges and development contexts.

When the ANC took over in 1994, it had to balance two options – to retain its historical character and to build on its history as a liberation movement to become a modern political party with new vision, values, programmes and goals.

The ANC needed a new organisation strategy. Nelson Mandela warned in his political report to the 49th ANC National Conference in Bloemfontein in 1994 that “We do face a danger that many ruling parties have experienced: that the organisation could turn into a mere conveyor-belt of government decisions or, on the other hand, a force steeped in a resistant mode. Similarly, without a clear organisational strategy and cadre policy, we could end up attracting merely those who seek careers in government.”

The ANC therefore needs an organisational strategy that will:

* Build the ANC through responsible recruitment. The recruitment campaign should not just be about increasing numbers and creating personality cult but about building an ANC cadre who is loyal to the organisation and who understands the mission, principles, character and traditions of the movement as well as the responsibility of an ANC member, all of which are sometimes taken for granted.

* Foster, throughout its ranks, a new kind of cadre and activitism rooted in the original ANC tradition of serving selflessly, passionately and competently.

* Revitalise the ANC’s iconic status in ways that continue to win admiration, loyalty, praise and followers, and thus extending its lifespan and influence into the second centenary.

* Balance the powerful asset of longevity and legacy with the need to continually evolving to meet changing ANC responsibilities, government challenges, members’ aspirations, voters’ expectations and the growing power of political opponents.

* Entrench rights, authority and responsibility to branches as custodians of internal democracy.

* Nurture youth to become responsible and self-respecting leaders of the future.

* Separate the ANC’s intra-party politics from both party administration and state mechanism. Hence the ANC needs to replace the traditional office bearer positions of secretary, deputy secretary and treasurer with the chief executive officer whose roles should include managing internal structures and processes, membership data, preparing for conferences, fund-raising and other day-to-day office work.

Public confidence in the ANC has waned after its failure to devise an effective organisational strategy to transform itself from a liberation movement into a modern political party running government.

Hence it is counting losses in its membership and support bases. ANC veteran Reverend Frank Chikane, Zuma and Mantashe (at the NGC) have frankly accepted that the ANC is in the grip of an unprecedented crisis. The prevailing political paralysis, if not boldly and decisively addressed, has a potential to reverse what many of the ANC’s compatriots risked life and limb for.

Can the ANC turn on its advantages – durability and legacy – to keep itself modern, relevant, appealing, competitive and productive while remaining true to the spirit and principles that propelled it to the centenary status?

In his autobiography titled “Let My People Go” (p103), former ANC president, Chief Albert Luthuli, says: “The ANC has displayed the power to adapt itself. Step by step along our difficult road, Congress has adapted itself to the real needs of the situation. This has not always been easy, but it has happened.”

While the ANC government is bracing itself for executing the NGC’s turnaround strategy, it is advised that success is not guaranteed if the ANC remains at war with itself.

* Khumalo is political and communication strategist at Think Tank Marketing Services and writes in his personal capacity.