STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL OFFICIALS OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

We have called this special briefing due to some incidents that have occurred in recent times, which may be causing confusion within the ANC and the public at large. 

The ANC has a rich history spanning over 100 years of selfless struggles.  The organization is known for its rich culture, traditions and values, including placing a high regard on discipline and respect for one another as members, regardless of position or structures that we belong to within the movement.

We are therefore very concerned about some alien behavior within our movement, which has manifested itself in various ways including some shockingly crude, disrespectful and un-ANC remarks that have been in the public domain over the past few weeks.

These remarks in their content and spirit are an attempt to create a perception in the public discourse that the National Officials of the ANC are at odds with each other and divided over a whole range of issues.

These remarks are also meant to portray the National Officials as disunited as well as competing against each other for positions within the organization.  We wish to state at the outset that the National Officials of the ANC are at one with regard to any matters of discipline within the ANC as well as action taken as informed by the ANC Constitution.  We remain loyal to all decisions we were part of.

We also wish to state that contestation within the ANC is neither a foreign, new or alienating exercise.  All members of the ANC, in good standing, are eligible to be nominated and stand for any position within the organization.  This is an inalienable right accorded to all members of the ANC as per the Constitution of the ANC.

As National Officials of the ANC we believe that the time has come to put an end to the blustering and often incomprehensible remarks that are made by various leaders and members of the ANC. The examples are the statements made by MKMVA today and the response thereto by the ANCYL. The Constitution of the ANC dissuades any of its members from engaging in any action that will disunite the ANC along factional, racial, ethnic or class lines.

Sadly, we have observed, in recent times, that some individuals within the ANC have continuously utilized the platforms of our respected centenary celebrations to sow divisions and discord within the organization. Whilst the sowing of divisions and discord are chiefly directed toward the National Officials of the ANC, these individual members have also chosen this centenary of the ANC to divide the ANC along narrow ethnic and racial lines as well as to insult and denigrate the leadership of the ANC, its values and principles.

It is sad that this type of foreign behavior rears its ugly head as we celebrate the 100 years of the ANC.  The centenary of the ANC will come but once in the lifetime of this generation of ANC and ANCYL members. This period allows us to reflect on the lessons taught to us by our history and the gallant fighters for our freedom and their commitment to our struggles.

This year points us to the selflessness of the contributions made by millions of people who braved the harshness of apartheid and colonialism. As we celebrate this centenary we pay tribute to their struggles and we have learned that the strength of the ANC derives from its capacity to self-correct and maintain high level of discipline and consistency.We are also celebrating the core values of the ANC to Unite this country and give leadership to our people.

Holding regular conferences and electing leadership is a long standing culture and tradition of the ANC, it is a way of life and strength within the ANC. It is a reflection of our commitment to renewal of the organization and to ensure that we maintain democratic principles that have always guided our practices and traditions.  The 53rd National Conference of the ANC is no exception to the rule, in the run up to this conference we accept and appreciate, that members of the ANC will lobby for their own preferred candidates, however, it is important that all members of the ANC and its leagues do so within the confines of the Constitution of the ANC and guidelines that will determine our behavior towards the conference.

It is incumbent upon the membership of the ANC and its leagues to stop bickering and negative lobbying.  We must constantly remind ourselves of the consequences that are inevitable should this continue. National Officials of the ANC are invited to address centenary celebrations organized by the ANCYL and find themselves in compromising situations of being implicated in statements where ANC leadership is denigrated and insulted, this too must stop. 

The National Officials and NEC members of the ANC are not above criticism and nor do they perceive themselves as such but there are mechanisms within the ANC where criticism and self-criticism is practiced.  Public platforms do not provide the space for a person who is unfairly criticized to respond or for a debate to ensue that will allow correction, self-correction and growth of an individual.

The more recent example of the Deputy President of the ANC who was deployed by the Secretary General to address the ANCYL rally in celebration of the ANC centenary in Limpopo, found himself faced with t-shirts with his face and name on it.  During this rally the Deputy President had to correct this deviant behavior of people who were at that rally.  It is a sad reality that the ANCYL has chosen this year of the ANC celebrating its centenary to attempt to cast the ANC as undemocratic and unresponsive to the voices of the youth, thus bringing the organization into disrepute.

The attempt to disrupt the second lecture in honor of, Sefako Mapogo Makgatho, the second President General of the ANC in Cape Town in February was evidence of the ill-discipline and disruptive nature of some of these elements. This matter is under investigation and in due time action will be taken.  It is incumbent upon all members of the ANC and its leagues to ensure that platforms of the ANC are never used to divide and factionalize the movement. 

The ANC's commitment to job creation and youth development is more than mere rhetoric; it is manifest in the decision to promote infrastructure development as a key driver for job creation. It is also manifest in the reality that the ANC has made education one of its key priorities.

The brazen and often rude and crude rhetoric to detract from real issues facing our youth does nothing to add value to the integrity of the ANC and its leagues. We encourage the ANCYL in particular to bring quality in debate and sharpness of purpose back in the movement, and thus make good of the characterization of the ANCYL as a body of opinion within the ANC.

It is in the interest of the ANC for the ANCYL to be a militant and forward looking organization, one which enables the discussion on a range of issues to be kept in the discourse of the ANC and to ensure that the ANC indeed does bring about transformation of our society.

The ANC discourages the elevation of individuals and personalities above the organization; this inevitably leads to the creation of personality cults which hampers collective decision making.

The ANC is currently engaged in an intensive programme to have policy discussion documents discussed at the level of its branches, its regions and provinces. This is a time tested mechanism to ensure that a festival of new ideas, new perspectives and greater energy is injected into ensuring that the ANC values are enriched with the enthusiastic views of people of all age's especially young people. Therefore, the assertion made at the University of the Witwatersrand by Julius Malema, that new ideas are suppressed and that the current leadership of the ANC is dictatorial and does not appreciate new ideas is not only disingenuous but a deliberate falsehood.

The time has come for all members of the ANC and its leagues to work for unity and cohesion and to focus on the immediate task of preparing for the policy conference and the national conference.  Our draft policy documents are in circulation and are posted on the ANC website. We call on all our members to respect processes and structures created by our Constitution.

Statement issued by President Jacob Zuma On behalf of the National Officials, African National Congress, April 3 2012

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