The ANC kicked off its 5th national general council (NGC) this week with the political report by party president Cyril Ramaphosa and the midterm report from secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.
Just as in previous ANC meetings and conferences, both reports pinpointed the challenges facing the ANC and the country with precision. They are, however, thin on how to best respond to such challenges as:
- Reversing declining standards of living;
- Renewal of the ANC;
- Economic policies to grow the economy, create jobs, stem retrenchment, absorb young people out of school and graduates, and reduce poverty, unemployment and inequality;
- Tangible policies to deal with growing levels of crime, fraud and corruption.
If previous NGCs are any indication, we can expect more of the same regarding policy proposals and implementation.
According to Mark 2:22 in the New Testament, in one of his teachings, Jesus warned against putting new wine in old wineskins. This was before the modern way of winemaking, where winemakers put new wines in barrels.
New wines have active natural yeast and continue to ferment and expand. Putting new wines in old wineskins made from animal skins, some of which were stiff, brittle, or had lost their elasticity, could cause the skins to burst from the pressure of fermentation.
This teaching or parable should be uppermost in the minds of delegates as they review the current social and economic policies, some of which have been in place since the dawn of democracy.
While they may have been fit for purpose at the time, it may be time to shift gear (pun intended), judging by the sluggish economic growth, economic stagnation, marginalisation of women and youth, increasing levels of poverty, unemployment and inequality.
Instead of general statements of intent, the NGC should review the economic growth and employment targets, as well as the timeframes contained in the National Development Plan, most of which are unlikely to be met.
It is one thing to stand firm on the implementation of the National Health Insurance and the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, but another altogether, unless there are resources made available for their successful implementation, including the employment of health workers and teachers, and revamping health facilities and schools.
Same thing on the commitment to fight crime and corruption. We have heard it all before, but nothing has come of it. Crime continues to rise, impacting all sectors of society, including gender based violence against women and children.
Ticking time bomb
The construction mafia has brought most social and economic infrastructure to a halt, leaving communities without much-needed roads, healthcare facilities and schools.
Youth unemployment remains a ticking bomb. It cannot be addressed through small projects, as is currently the case. The NGC needs to determine the necessary policies to ensure widespread public youth employment, training, and retraining in areas such as bricklaying, boilermaking, fitting and turning, and welding.
The ANC’s commitment to renewal by holding leaders accused of fraud and corruption to account is merely a slogan. Parliament is replete with leaders of questionable ethics, without integrity and revolutionary morality.
Some of them take pride of place at the very same NGC that is supposed to emerge with new policies to hold corrupt leaders to account. No wonder voters continue to abandon the party, starting with the loss of key metropolitan the party, starting with the loss of key metropolitan municipalities in 2016 and 2021, and nationally in 2024.
The NGC will also have to confront the elephant in the room: the decision of the SACP to contest the next local government elections independently. Not only will it impact the ANC’s electoral fortunes, but it also calls into question the applicability of dual membership.
The SACP wants to have its cake and eat it too. It wants to stay in the tripartite alliance, retain membership of the ANC, and campaign against the ANC in the local government elections. Woe unto the ANC should it fudge the decision on dual membership.
At the same time that the ANC confronts the challenge posed by the SACP’s decision to contest the elections in its own right, it also faces a weak trade union federation, Cosatu, as evident in the low attendance at the rally to celebrate its 40th anniversary.
Not only did workers stay away, but some of the affiliate leadership didn’t attend. It is unlikely to be able to marshal workers during an election campaign in which two of its alliance partners are on the ballot paper.
The NGC faces stark choices: rise to the occasion to truly renew the ANC to make it a more effective instrument of the people to achieve the vision of the Freedom Charter as its theme suggests, or put old wine in old wineskins, risking all of it being lost as the old wineskins bur wing to fermentation.
- Mbhazima Shilowa is the former premier of Gauteng and former general secretary of Cosatu.
