23 Jan 2007: ISS Today: South Africa: The ANC - So Much To Celebrate, So Much To Do
23 January 2007: South Africa: The ANC—So Much To Celebrate, So Much To Do
On 13 January 2007 the ANC celebrated its 95th anniversary. To mark this auspicious occasion it held a rally in Witbank, at which President Mbeki delivered a statement on behalf of the party’s National Executive Committee. In this he reaffirmed the key goals of the organisation, captured its achievements as governing party, and presented the “what is to be done” list of priorities for 2007.
As the political movement edges towards celebrating a century of existence, its resumé is one it can largely be proud of. The ANC was key to the transformation of South Africa and, as the ruling party for the last twelve years, has laid the legislative foundation providing democratic governance with a strong national foothold. The ANC has also worked vigorously to place democratic governance on the continental agenda.
Some of the key achievements noted in the NEC’s statement are an average economic growth rate of approximately 4.5%; an increased rate of investment from 15% of GDP in 2003 to 18.5%; a reduction of the number of households living below the poverty line from 4.1 million to 3.6 million; the launch of an expanded public works program creating over 300,000 work opportunities; 3.5 million homes have been electrified; 1,300 clinics and 64,467 classrooms have been built; it has secured a non-permanent seat on the security council for the country, and so forth. This is no mean feat for a party that inherited a largely bankrupt and dysfunctional state apparatus. But, even as it rightfully pats itself on the back for these accomplishments, the leadership is acutely aware that all is not well: that there is a major gap between present realities and those it has committed itself to in terms of its programme of action and the Millennium Development Campaign.
In addition, over the last few years we have seen intense internal power struggles within the leadership of the ANC, marked fissures within the alliance, mounting corruption scandals and maladministration, a widespread perceived inability to deal with crime. and a growing distance between the rank and file of the organisation and the leadership. Critics assert that the party has been captured or hijacked by those motivated by private accumulation rather than service. These factors have all weakened the coherence and political appeal of the organisation. It threatens to place the party on a similar trajectory to that of other post-colonial African political parties.
Though the ANC does not have much to fear in the next round of national democratic elections, because the opposition parties remain far to weak to present it with a credible challenge, there is a growing chorus noting the need for the ANC to bring its house in order if it is to make substantive inroads into the enormous challenges facing the country.
In pursuit of these changes, and in preparation for its 52nd national conference, which is to be held in December this year, the ANC has proclaimed that it will “place the branches at the centre of the struggle”. Rebuilding the branches serves the purpose of reinvigorating the ANC and attempts to re-galvanise the mass behind a common development agenda. Though this is a welcome return to participatory politics, however, it raises the question of whether the ANC is prepared for the fierce debates around policies and practices that are likely to accompany the return to local level participation.
Cheryl Hendricks, Southern African Human Security Programme, ISS Tshwane (Pretoria)
