STATEMENT OF THE ANC NATIONAL WORKING COMMITTEE

The ANC National Working Committee (NWC) held one of its fortnightly meetings on Monday (30 March 2009).

The meeting considered progress on work towards ensuring a seamless transition to a new ANC administration following the 22 April election. The ANC is determined that the incoming government begin immediately to implement its mandate.

The meeting reviewed a report from the ANC's transitional management team. Among the issues covered in the report are proposed changes to cabinet - the division of the education ministry into two and the establishment of a ministry for rural development - and the setting up of a planning, monitoring and evaluation unit in the Presidency. This work will be supported by an ANC policy delivery and evaluation unit to be located at the ANC Policy Institute.

In an ongoing exercise to strengthen the movement, the ANC will update its membership database and ensure that the organisation is aware of where the human resource capacity of the movement is located. All ANC members are encouraged to dedicate their skills to community development initiatives, especially the establishment of street committees.

The NWC received a report on the current status of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system to be implemented in Johannesburg, Cape Town, the Nelson Mandela Metro and Tshwane.

It reiterated the ANC's commitment to ensure that all South Africans have access to affordable, safe and modern public transport.

The NWC the concerns expressed by some taxi operators about the introduction of BRT, but stressed the fact that the BRT will not result in any job losses in the industry. The ANC will continue to engage the sector on concerns that it may have.

The transformation of public transport in our country is a major element of our developmental strategy, and the taxi industry is an important partner in that process.

The NWC called on all taxi operators and associations to ensure that they engage with the process and not marginalise themselves. The NWC called on the taxi industry to desist from any acts of violence or disruption.

The NWC repeated the ANC's call to government not to make any new appointments to senior positions in the public service or state owned enterprises until after the election. This will allow the new administration to make decisions on critical appointments. This request is not out of line with international norms. It takes account of the reality that the appointments of Directors General and their deputies are confirmed by cabinet. With only three weeks left to the elections, the new cabinet would be better placed to finalise senior appointments.

The NWC noted with distaste recent articles that have appeared in some newspapers, specifically the Sunday Times and Business Day, attempting to link ANC President Jacob Zuma to the deaths of various ANC members in exile. These articles, which do not even make pretence of producing evidence, should be dismissed with contempt. They are a transparent attempt to besmirch the ANC President.

The fact is that on three separate occasions these deaths were investigated - in the Skweyiya Commission, the Motsuenyane Commission and South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) - and at no point was there any evidence presented that linked Jacob Zuma directly or indirectly to any of these incidents.

Statement issued by the African National Congress, March 31 2009

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