The African National Congress (ANC) is in the process of registering all its candidates – beginning today.
Most ANC candidates on various lists are products of nominations being carried out at Branch General Meetings (BGMs) and thereafter having been subjected to community meetings where candidates were scrutinised and questioned by members of the public.
The National List Committee (NLC) of the ANC exercised its prerogative to ensure that gender parity, representativity as well as continuity was adhered to, for all provinces to deliver a gender balanced list.
In a number of provinces, the NLC intervened to ensure that candidates who resided in a particular ward were selected, ensuring demographic representativity.
The overall percentage of an average of 40% continuity was – to a large extent - achieved. The ANC has been able to put together a list of candidates for every ward and every available Proportional Representative (PR) seat. In terms of registration, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, Gauteng and Limpopo registered candidates today.
KwaZulu-Natal will register five ANC regions today and six regions tomorrow. The reason for the split is administrative. Free State will register candidates today with the exception Lejweleputswa, where there are some branches, which will go back to the community for a final consultation. North West will register candidates on Wednesday. The Eastern Cape will register candidates today, with the exception of the Oliver Tambo region, which will commence registration tomorrow.
The are two pending court actions lodged by people who did not make it on the list, interdicting the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) from continuing with registration of ANC candidates. In this regard, we are defending the court actions and will also institute ANC internal disciplinary action after completion of the registration process. The court action results will be known by today. Regions affected are Alfred Nzo and Buffalo City.
The ANC reiterates its position that all matters concerning the organisation should be resolved internally. We take a dim view of individuals who insist on taking the ANC to court, citing process matters. Our decision to test the popularity of candidates at community meetings stems from a national conference resolution.
We expect all ANC members to respect the resolutions of the organisation.
In the Western Cape - whilst registration is commencing - we are witnessing some degree of dispute around the Dullah Omar region.
We appeal to all cadres of our movement in the Western Cape to accept decisions taken to ensure that the principles and policies of our organisation are adhered to.
Issued by:
Gwede Mantashe
Secretary General
African National Congress
Chief Albert Luthuli House
ANC GEARING ITSELF FOR MANIFESTO AND ELECTION CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
19 February 2011
With the upcoming local government elections not far off, the African National Congress (ANC) has pulled all the stops in gearing up for the launch of its election manifesto and campaign taking place next Sunday (27
The ANC local government manifesto launch to be addressed by President Jacob Zuma at the 40 000 capacity Royal Bafokeng Stadium will also be attended by dignitaries who will include foreign diplomats, the business community, religious and traditional leaders. The ANC expects over 50 000 people, including supporters and members of our movement and its Alliance partners to converge at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium for the launch. In anticipation of a larger crowd attending the launch, plans for an overflow venue have been made to accommodate people at the adjacent sports ground opposite the stadium. Hundreds of buses will ferry people from various locations of the North West province - in particular - and from the entire country in general will.
A fund-raising gala dinner preceding the manifesto will be held on Saturday evening (26 February 2011) at the Sun City Superbowl, to launch the ANC local government election album. Musicians featuring in the ANC election album include such artists as Arthur, Chomee, Oskido, Professor, Chicco Twala, Deborah Fraser and Ihashe Elimhlophe – among others. We expect about 2000 people to attend the launch of our election album. They will include dignitaries such as NEC members, business, religious and traditional leaders, as well as artists and musicians from all over the country.
As we approach the launch of our election campaign next week, we are very happy and satisfied with work done by provinces in the candidates’ list process, with regional lists conferences being finalised this weekend (19 – 20 February 2011). The ANC and its Alliance partners will hold an Alliance Summit on the 24th and 25th February 2011, at the St George Hotel in Pretoria. In preparation for the Alliance Summit, an extended National Working Committee (NWC) meeting will be held this coming Monday (21 February
2011) at the Gallagher Estate in Midrand.
Issued by: African National Congress
Chief Albert Luthuli House
54 Sauer Street
Johannesburg 2001
*THE ANC DISMISSES WITH CONTEMPT THE PREDICTIONS OF MOELETSI MBEKI:*
18 February 2011
In a manner similar to those 20th century Prophets of Doom who predicted
that the world will come to an end in the year 2000, Moeletsi Mbeki has
written an article predicting that Tunisia-like protests will happen in
South Africa in 2020 to topple the ANC government. The ANC Youth League
dismisses this prophecy of doom with the contempt it deserves because it is
not only untrue, but one of the most bizarre predictions to ever happen.
This prophecy of doom is also a worrying trend by Moeletsi Mbeki who is very
pessimistic and consistently negative about the progress made by the African
National Congress government, particularly since the departure of his
brother as President of South Africa. Moeletsi Mbeki consistently writes
sensational and alarmist observations about the democratic government of the
ANC, and like all prophets of doom, he will be the one who will be doomed,
not the African National Congress.
The Tunisia-like protests will not happen in South Africa, because the ANC
government has made profound progress in placing institutions, structures
and virtues of democracy, which allow the people of South Africa to freely
and fairly choose public representatives after every five years. Besides
entrenched democracy in South Africa, the ANC government is at the forefront
of the attack in the battle against poverty, unemployment and starvation.
The ANC government has since 1994 provided basic services to the people of
South Africa, including water, electricity, sanitation, houses, roads,
access to free education, healthcare, safety and security and many other
basic social services needed for sustainable livelihoods.
For Moeletsi Mbeki to suggest that the people of South Africa will revolt to
topple the ANC government is day-dreaming inspired by his hatred of the
African National Congress. we all agree that the biggest challenge
confronting South African society currently is joblessness, which the ANC
government said should be tackled as a matter of urgency. The ANC government
acknowledges the need and urgency of job creation and will dedicate
everything it does to create many jobs for the unemployed population. The
central political question which the 2012 National Conference of the ANC
will tackle will be the increased role of the State in the ownership and
control of strategic sectors of the economy, in particular the natural
resources supply sectors such as mining and land. If there will be any
revolt in South Africa, it will not be against the ANC government, but
against white monopoly capitalists who continue to extract our resources,
massively profit, whilst our people remain without jobs and living in
poverty.
Those who live in different planets, like Moeletsi Mbeki do not appreciate
the massive progress made by the ANC government, nor appreciate its genuine
programmes to mobilise the whole of society behind the noble objective of
jobs for all who need jobs. South Africa’s democratic foundation is rooted
on the blood of martyrs of our revolution and will never be shaken.
*Issued by the African National Congress Youth League *
*ANC YOUTH LEAGUE NATIONAL WORKING COMMITTEE STATEMENT ON CONGRESS PREPARATIONS AND STATE OF NATION ADDRESS.*
* *
*18 February 2011*
* *
The African National Congress Youth League National Working Committee met on
the 17th of February 2011 to amongst things, review and concretely
streamline preparations for the ANC YL 24th National Congress and make broad
reflections on the 2011 State of Nation Address.
*CONGRESS PREPARATIONS*
* *
The NWC has noted that all systems are in place to organise a successful ANC Youth League 24th National Congress, which will happen between the 16th and 20th of June 2011 under the theme “*YOUTH ACTION FOR ECONOMIC FREEDOM IN OURLIFETIME*” in Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg. Members of the ANC Youth League National Executive Committee will be visiting Provinces and
Regions of the ANC YL across the country to take members through all the
processes and pre-requirements for delegates to attend the National Congress.
These briefings in Provinces and regions will include an emphasis that no
member of the ANC YL will successfully disrupt meetings and processes of the
ANC YL in preparation for the 24th National Congress. The briefings will
include a further emphasis that all delegates elected to represent their
branches in the 24th National Congress will register as delegates in their
respective Provincial General Councils, which will happen on the first
weekend of June 2011. Most importantly, branches of the ANC Youth League
should adequately discuss the 24th National Congress discussion documents
and make clear recommendations on what should be the outcomes of Congress.
In preparation of the 24th National Congress, the National Executive
Committee will on Friday the 18th of February 2011 release the following
discussion documents for branches to discuss in preparation for Congress: 1)
Nationalisation of Mines Document, 2) Organisational Renewal Document, 3)
Constitutional Review Document, and 4) ANC Youth League Induction Manual. On
the 2nd week of March 2011, the National Executive Committee will release
the following documents:
1. Economic Transformation perspective: “Towards economic freedom in our lifetime”
2. Social Transformation Document
3. Education and Health Document
4. Communications, Media and the Battle of Ideas
5. Gender Perspective Document
6. International Relations Perspective
7. Youth Development Perspective
* *
*STATE OF NATION ADDRESS *
The State of Nation Address covered many critical areas, which had to beemphasised in the era of massive youth unemployment and poverty. Majority of
the issues the State of Nation Address captured are plausible, particularly
the emphasis on job creation. Job creation should most certainly be at the
centre of all government programmes because South Africa’s biggest crisis is
the high levels of unemployment and poverty. An absolute majority of the
people who are leading and participating in protests in our communities are unemployed youth. The emphasis on job creation is therefore necessary to respond to this pressing question.
Whilst we welcome the essence of the State of Nation Address, particularly
the emphasis on job creation, the ANC Youth League profoundly disagrees with
the introduction of tax rebates for big business. Tax allowances and breaks
are not very different from the wage subsidies which the ANC rejected and
denounced in more than one occasion. It looks like, time and again, attempts
to subsidise the private sector (capitalists) with the hope that they will
create decent sustainable jobs, are made in various forms and shapes.
Government should explore other incentives to attract labour-absorptive
industrial and manufacturing investors, not tax breaks and allowances.
The R20 billion tax allowances and breaks should be redirected to
development of Small and Medium Enterprises in rural areas, particularly
small scale agriculture. Additional to this, the State’s procurement
policies should prioritise small scale agriculture so that the State’s
purchasing of food for school feeding schemes, hospitals and prisons
empowers this sector. The R20 billion can also be used for the maintenance
of rural and townships infrastructure through a highly labour absorptive
model. In this instance, the State should provide sustainable jobs to
unemployed people in rural areas and townships whose responsibilities will
include maintenance of roads, sports and recreation facilities, providing
security in schools and recreational facilities, providing security as
community policing forums and all other interventions that will contribute
to sustainable livelihoods.
The ANC Youth League objects to tax rebates, wage subsidies and all sorts of
models of enticing capitalists because entrusting the private sector with
this urgent need of job creation is potentially disastrous. The 17 years of
democracy in South Africa have proven that whilst playing an important role
in the growth of the economy, the private sector is not interested in the
upliftment of our people through job creation and other developmental
interventions. We should sooner accept the reality that the private sector
is obsessed with profit maximisation and will forever try to use as fewer
people as possible to make more profits. The State should therefore play a
central and leading role in the creation of sustainable employment for our
people.
Once again, the ANC Youth League welcomes government’s commitment to create
a State Owned Mining Company through endorsement of the African Exploration,
Mining and Finance Corporation (AEMFC) as a State Owned Mining Company that
will undertake the mining of minerals of strategic significance. We also
welcome the commitment that a beneficiation strategy is one of government’s
priorities for 2011, but calls for a specific Mining Sector Industrial
Strategy, which will ensure that majority of beneficiated minerals are
locally industrialised.
Overall, the ANC Youth League welcomes many other progressive commitments
made in the State of Nation Address, particularly on provision of free
sanitary towels, gradual introduction of free education for the poor at post
secondary level, National Health Insurance, fight against drugs and
substances, and youth development. Because the President committed
establishment of Local Offices of the National Youth Development Agency in
all Municipalities in the 2010 State of Nation Address, we call on the
National Treasury to this time appreciate this commitment and allocate the
necessary resources for the stabilisation of youth development at the local
sphere of society.
*Issued by the ANC Youth League *
