ANC conferences solely convened to elect new leaders, rather than discuss policy – SACP

The South African Communist Party (SACP) says it’s concerned about the persisting worrying signs that move against the renewal and unity of the African National Congress (ANC) and reconfiguration of the tripartite alliance.

SACP’s first plenary meeting

The SACP, which is in alliance with the ANC and Cosatu, has raised concerns over the numerous disputes and delays that have marred the ANC’s recent regional and provincial conferences, ahead of the governing party’s 55th National Elective Conference in December.

The newly elected SACP central committee held its first plenary meeting over the weekend in Ekurhuleni in the East Rand, following the party’s 15th Elective Congress in July.

PODCAST: The state of South African politics – Is unity and renewal in the ANC even possible?

The party said it was worried that many of the ANC’s conferences appeared to have been solely convened to elect new leaders, rather than discuss substantive policy issues to address the country’s challenges.

Several of the ANC’s recent conferences have experienced disputes, delays in adopting credentials and legal action, resulting in the gatherings being postponed to a later date to conclude on outstanding conference matters.

North West ANC conference

At the weekend, the ANC in the North West held the second leg of its 9^th Provincial Elective Conference to elect the provincial executive committee and discuss policy issues, after the conference, earlier this month, was bedeviled by legal challenges and divisions.

The SACP said this type of behaviour within the governing party risked placing the ANC, and the entire alliance, in danger of further electoral decline at the polls.

“The recently held ANC regional and provincial conferences have experienced numerous disputes, delays in dealing with credentials, allegations of money politics, and divisions along those and other lines of disunity.

“In many instances, there were no substantive policy discussions, as many of the conferences appeared to have been solely convened to elect new leaders. The developments that followed indicate that some contested leadership positions to take over government positions for factional and private economic interests.

“These and other worrying signs place our ally, and with it – the entire alliance, in danger of losing the confidence of our people and experiencing further electoral decline,” the SACP said in a statement.

The party called on the ANC to strengthen discipline within its ranks. It said the renewal and unity of the ANC and reconfiguration of the alliance had become even more urgent.

“Strengthening discipline, fighting corporate capture and corruption, and deepening political education within the ranks of our movement are a key task for the renewal, unity and reconfiguration imperative to succeed.

“The ANC’s renewal and the alliance’s renewal, unity and reconfiguration must include building ties with our political and class bases. This requires direct contact through democratic engagement and campaigns with our social bases, mainly the working-class.”

Compiled by Thapelo Lekabe

NOW READ: ANC confident of ‘decisive majority’ in 2024 as DA tells EFF to pick ‘a struggle’