ANC STATEMENT ON THE ANCYL RESPONSE TO THE NDC PROCESS

The ANC fully welcomes the pronouncement made by leaders of the ANCYL, who have been charged in their capacities as members of the ANC, that they will appeal the NDC outcome through the NDCA and they will do everything in challenging the outcome within the prescripts of the ANC Constitution.

The ANC has also noted the comments that were made by members of the ANCYL leadership with regards to the outcome of the disciplinary process. We find it very unfortunate that they have chosen to cast doubt on the NDC, the process of the NDC itself and the outcome thereof (see report). 

Some of the issues raised by the Youth League are issues that they need to take to the appeal process and make those arguments there. In relation to some of the issues including the jurisdiction of the ANC National Officials in terms of charging the ANC members, that issue was addressed to the fullest in terms of the report that was released by the NDC last week. The ANC Constitution fully empowers the ANC Officials to prefer charges on any member.

On the issue of comments made by the Secretary General of the ANC Comrade Gwede Mantashe, and the Spokesperson of the ANC Comrade Jackson Mthembu, that is of no consequence to the process of the NDC.  It was never raised as a factor in deciding the sanctions by the NDC.  Issues that were pertinent to the sanctioned were isolated individually and addressed in terms of why they constituted in the words of the NDC ‘violations' and consequently how these impacted on the ANC' integrity as an organization.  Both the SG and the Spokesperson are not members of the NDC and therefore they could not have pre-determined through their commentary the outcome of the NDC.

The ANC is satisfied that the competence of the NDC is not questionable, the sanctions they meted out were their calculated measure, after going through evidence presented, of what would cure the organization of the accesses that were committed in relation to the organization's policies and Constitution.

It must also be noted that the composition of the NDC was done in 2007 after the Polokwane conference and the argument that some of them were unsuitable to preside over the hearings has never been objectively proven.  These arguments were entertained by the NDC and they found that there were no material grounds for them to recuse themselves from the hearings.

The outcome and the entire NDC process was never meant to settle scores, this was proven by the charges that all the affected members were charged on.  The onus is on them as they approach the NDCA to prove how they did not violate the ANC Constitution and policies as per the charges.  At no stage were these ANC members charged for calling for economic freedom in their lifetime and neither were they charged for calling for nationalization and land grabs without compensation. Any insinuation that the charges brought against them as well as the outcomes thereof were "political" is therefore with out any substance.

The ANC would once again, as pronounced on Monday, 13 November 2011, want to re-iterate that we are deeply disturbed and would like to reject with contempt the placing of its leadership into opposing camps in relation to the recent disciplinary hearings outcomes.  We view this as a malicious and divisive way of projecting the ANC's national leadership by some sections within our ranks and the media, informed by reasons only known to them, which are not based on any facts.

We want to again re-iterate that the ANC leadership in its entirety respect all ANC processes and hold the ANC Constitution in high esteem.  There is no doubt in our mind that the process as well as the outcome of the recent disciplinary hearings enjoys the respect and acceptance by all leaders of the ANC and members.

The leadership of the ANC is also cognizant of the fact that all members of the ANC who appeared before any of its disciplinary committees at all levels of the organization have a Constitutional right to appeal to the National Disciplinary Committee of Appeals. There is absolutely no disagreement at the level of the NEC of the ANC in this regard, in fact there is unanimity as this is a Constitutional matter.

Statement issued by Jackson Mthembu, ANC national spokesperson, November 16 2011

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