Forces for transformation under spotlight at ANC National General Council
By Steyn Speed, ANC
The role of the ANC as a people’s movement for transformation will be under the spotlight at the ANC National General Council (NGC), taking place from 11-15 July in Port Elizabeth.
The NGC, which is held mid-term between ANC national conferences, will examine the nature and tasks of the ANC in the current phase of the National Democratic Revolution (NDR). It will include an analysis of the motive forces for change and discussion on how to mobilise them.
The NGC is particularly significant for workers, who are among the most important and active forces for democratic transformation. The NGC discussions will look at their role in the struggle for a united, non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society. The NGC will look in particular at the role of the progressive trade union movement, as well as the Tripartite Alliance.
Discussions on the papers for the ANC National General Council have already begun. Almost 100 regional councils are taking place throughout the length and the breadth of the country.
These regional councils will bring together more than 5000 delegates from all ANC branches, the Leagues, COSATU, SACP and other democratic formations at local level.
During the last weekend of June, all provinces will have Provincial General Councils (PGCs) to discuss draft resolutions that arise from these regional councils.
The discussions are taking place under the theme of the NGC: "ANC: People's Revolutionary Movement for Transformation. Forward to the African Century". Three discussion papers have been published in a special edition of Umrabulo, which is being distributed across the country.
The paper on Tasks of the National Democratic Revolution and the Motive Forces notes that 1994 was a strategic defeat for white minority rule and a move away from more than 300 years of colonial rule. This constituted a platform to start the process of transforming South Africa into a truly non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society, which is the strategic objective of the NDR. The paper identifies nine strategic tasks of this period, including:
- Replacing the apartheid state with a democratic state, which includes deracialising the state, ensuring that it meets the developmental objectives of the new order; that it is people-centered and efficient;
- The commitment of the democratic state to reconstruction and development, and a better life for all citizens;
- The ongoing mobilisation of the masses of our people to govern themselves, the support that we must give to organs of civil society and social movements to ensure that we have people-centered development;
- Defining the relationship between the democratic state and the unions, with private capital and building national consensus around economic priorities such as investment in productive activities, infrastructure, SMMEs and job creation.
- Building social partnerships for development and transformation.
The paper looks at the motive forces, which are the forces that stand to benefit most from this programme of change. These include workers, rural people, the unemployed, women, youth and middle strata.
The NGC will assess and discuss the impact of ANC policies and programmes since 1994 on each of these forces and sectors, and look at how they can be mobilised more effectively to ensure transformation and democracy leads to the upliftment in the quality of life of all these sectors.
The paper on ANC - People's Movement and Agent for Change takes a hard look at the ANC as a movement. It examines the unique elements that set the ANC apart from other political movements in the country, including:
- that the ANC is a historical product of the struggle against colonialism and for national liberation, and its leaders and cadres adapted to the demands of each phase of struggle;
- it combined theory and practice in its conduct of struggle and managed different views, while ensuring unity in action;
- it sought sustainable solutions to the country's problems, for example it fought for a non-racial South Africa, instead of taking the shortcut of replacing one form of racial domination by another;
- it pursued the widest possible unity among South Africans across race, colour or creed, accepting into its ranks all those who supported the vision of a democratic South Africa and it worked and continues to do so today for unity of the African continent;
- that the movement on an ongoing basis must earn its position as a people's movement.
The paper examines how the above evolved during the period before 1994 and during the stage of governance after 1994. It makes proposals on the organisational and governance challenges facing the movement for it to maintain this unique character as a people's movement and agent for change.
The paper on Uprooting the Demon of Racism is an important part of the national debate, raised in the ANC’s 8 January Statement, that this century too will have to address the problem of the colour line in the context of preparing for the African century.
The ANC since its formation in 1912 has fought and led struggles against the demon of racism. The paper examines the historical development of racism in South Africa underpinning the system of colonialism and apartheid. It notes that racism, as an ideology that supports exploitative and oppressive social and economic systems, is a worldwide phenomenon.
The paper looks at what is needed to build this non-racial society in the areas of the economy, land redistribution, education, culture, the media and how it impacts on women, youth, social and political movements.
These discussion papers are not only for internal discussions of the ANC, but should be seen as part of the efforts of the ANC towards building national consensus on the key national issues facing the country and its people.
© COSATU