Only a Transformed ANC can Lead South Africa to Prosperity
The 4th ANC National Policy Conference failed to provide clarity on the direction in which the party will be moving on a number of critical challenges facing South Africa. This is partly a consequence of weaknesses in the ANC leadership and the manner in which it is selected.
Hamadziripi Tamukamoyo, Researcher, Crime and Justice Programme, ISS Pretoria
South Africa faces the pressing problems of
unemployment, poverty, material inequality, failing education and health systems,
and a sluggish economy. Consequently, there was some anticipation regarding the
policy choices that would emerge from the recent African National Congress
(ANC) 4th National Policy Conference, held from 26 to 29 June. Although
ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe claimed that there were ‘robust’ and ‘candid’
discussions, it still remains unclear where the ANC is taking the country on key
policy matters such as state intervention in the economy, fixing the education
system and land reform. It is also questionable whether there were indeed open
and frank discussions about the current ANC leadership. From proceedings at the
policy conference it is clear that at this juncture the ANC is unable to
provide the kind of inclusive and cohesive leadership urgently required to
solve the country’s main challenges.
Scenario planning expert Clem Sunter, writing in
his News24 online column of 7 June, says
that the most economically successful countries have had periods of ‘inclusive
leadership’ where the head of the country has managed to bring together
disparate groups to work together towards the greater good. Unfortunately, the
current ANC leadership continues to fail in this regard. The issue of
nationalisation, which has for some time hindered foreign and domestic
investment, is an example. Political analyst Steven Friedman, writing in the Business Day of 11 July, argues that the
‘ANC alliance includes both left-wingers who distrust business and racial
nationalists who want to shift more assets from white to black hands’. Both
sides ‘have an interest in restricting property rights’, he says. The ANC
leadership is well aware of the various positions within the party concerning
the issue of nationalisation and its task is to bring together opposing
interest groups and work out a compromise that will address some of these
concerns and build investor confidence. Improved confidence would give impetus
to prospective and current investors to commit more to the South African
economy and fuel economic growth.
To some extent it appears as though the policy
conference resulted in some level of compromise between the different
perspectives. In his closing address at the conference President Jacob Zuma
said, ‘With regards to minerals, there was a broad consensus that minerals
belong to the people as a whole and should be governed by the democratic
developmental state in the interests of all South Africans. Mining should have a
developmental impact and promote job creation. The state should also capture an
equitable share of mineral resource rents and deploy them in the interests of
long-term economic growth, development and transformation.’ This statement,
however, seemed to be interpreted differently by different groups in the ANC.
For example, the ANC Youth League, which has called for the wholesale
nationalisation of mines without paying compensation, said in a statement, ‘We welcome … the
resolution for the nationalisation of mines and other strategic sectors of the
economy.’ However, this was disputed
by National Executive member Enoch Godongwana, who said that the ANC had
decided ‘not to pursue the nationalisation of mines’.
Interestingly, there seemed to be no consideration
of the National Planning Commission’s (NPC) recommendations. Established by the
Presidency, the NPC consists of 26 of some of the country’s brightest minds,
who after a substantial period of consultation with people working in different
sectors of society, diagnosed the causes of South Africa’s key problems and
identified practical solutions. A key part of the problem facing the ANC
appears to be that its top figures have failed to rise above their personal
ambition for senior leadership positions. Consequently, the dynamics of the
policy conference are framed by the leadership contest taking place in the
run-up to the ANC National Conference in December. Seemingly, the key factor
driving the contesting factions is the access it provides individuals and
factions to state resources. Policy issues then become a proxy for leadership
contestation. It therefore often matters more who supports certain policy
positions than what the contents of those policies are.
The ANC should consider a system where members
compete for positions in a transparent manner guided by a clear set of rules.
This would enable delegates to select leaders based on their performance in the
party and in government. Further, a political system based on the
recommendations of the Frederik van Zyl Slabbert Commission on Electoral Reform,
named after the late opposition politician, could be considered. The commission
recommended a system geared towards the direct election of political leaders, which
could ensure that the leaders are more responsible to the electorate than to
factions in the party.
A step towards addressing some of the challenges
the ANC faces would be for the party to urgently consider the recommendations
of the 2010 National General Council, reiterated in the Organisational Renewal
Discussion document. These state that:
- It is critical
for the party to have a resilient, courageous, principled and decisive
leadership
- The rejuvenation
of the ANC will require a committed and conscious cadre
- An
active civil society and a mobilised population are essential for the
renewal of the party
The first recommendation is conceivable only if the
current ANC leadership is able to look beyond narrow factional interests and
realises the importance of acting in the interest of all South Africans, with a
focus on the poor. Entrenched factionalism, as noted in the Organisational
Renewal Discussion document, is detrimental to the greater good. Currently, it
is clear that there are two factions: those who support the current President
and status quo and those who seem to be clamouring for a new dispensation led by
Deputy President Motlanthe. A courageous and decisive leadership would have
opened up the debate on how to structure the issue of succession and initiated
the development of a set of rules to guide the debate on the selection of the new
leadership. Further, a principled and decisive leadership would have led the
way in terms of concerns such as corruption. It would have stated publicly that
those who are tainted by allegations of corruption cannot be allowed to lead
the party and the country until such allegations are transparently and fairly
investigated. Beyond the usual rhetoric, the present leadership has clearly
been unsuccessful in decisively acting on corruption in the upper echelons of
government.
The practice of cadre deployment has continued to
have negative ramifications for government service delivery, as recently argued
by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC). It is crucial that the ANC
leadership leads the way in transforming the organisation into a modern
political party that deploys people based on merit, skill and commitment to
serving the country, rather than their allegiance to certain organisational factions.
The ruling party has to urgently grasp the fact
that a robust civil society, a free media and independent judiciary are
critical for an active and mobilised general population that can contribute to
strengthening the country. It is therefore discouraging when leading ANC
figures actively stifle crucial components of our democracy. Recently the
Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, made the absurd
statement that there was a ‘war against the state’ because human rights organisations
took the government to court for failing to provide adequate drinking water to
poor communities. Nelson Mandela’s treason trial lawyer George Bizos warned on
17 July that our politicians do not accept the media’s role and rightly stated,
‘We cannot allow politicians to reduce us to praise singers.’ Instead of
seeking to undermine the foundations of our democracy, the ruling party’s
leadership has to actively engage all citizens of the country.
Bringing together the range of stakeholders in
South Africa to solve the country’s challenges, such as those pertaining to the
economy and to education, will provide a foundation that will drive the country
into a new era in governance. In addition, such a path has the capability to
ignite institutional transformation that will contribute to reviving the
country’s sluggish economy. Indeed, all South Africans deserve the dignified
and prosperous life aspired to in the constitution and the ANC leadership has a
duty to facilitate this.