Will the ANC focus on what’s important in its January 8 Statement?

With the ANC national executive committee (NEC) – its highest decision-making body – this week expected to put final touches to the party’s January 8 Statement, organisational renewal, corruption, the economy and the health crisis are among key issues expected to form part of the speech, experts say.

Analysts said on Sunday they expected a measured tone from President Cyril Ramaphosa in dealing with internal party issues.

“It will not be a hard-hitting statement, due to the fragility of internal party dynamics,” said Sanusha Naidu, senior research fellow with the Institute for Global Dialogue.

“Can the ANC continue as usual amid the internal fragmentation and disintegration, in the face of corruption, power struggles and party dynamics?

“Given the fact that Luthuli House is losing its stamp of authority, with the branches and other structures becoming much more powerful, can the party afford to come up with yet more lazy rhetoric, like ‘the collective’?

“There is currently no linkage or alignment with structures outside Luthuli House – something that could be infused by the NEC in discussion, preparation and finalising the January 8 Statement.

“The big battle on Wednesday at the NEC meeting will be about the tone, context and optics of that statement.

“The ANC has never gone out in public against itself.

“No matter how personalities have brought the ANC into disrepute, the party has never come out fully to chastise individuals through the January 8 Statement,” Naidu said.

For economist Thabi Leoka, the state of the economy and the health crisis were key issues for inclusion in the statement.

Said Leoka: “Considering what’s going on around us – Covid-19 and the elusive details around the rollout of the vaccine – the ANC January 8 Statement comes at a difficult time in the country.

“Investors will want to hear an update of the recovery plan, corruption measures, Covid-19 vaccine measures, including procurement details and the rollout plan.

“The urgency in which we should respond to the economy and the health crisis leaves very little room for political ideologues.

“This year’s statement will be less significant, because answers to our immediate problems lie with the government, the private sector and the collaboration between the two.”

Concurring with Leoka, independent political analyst Ralph Mathekga said: “Getting out of this mess of people dying from Covid-19 is a big issue.”

“But we don’t seem to have a good strategy – even on accessing a vaccine during an emergency.

“With the economy reeling from the recession, what is the plan for revival?

“Is the ANC going to continue with their normal differences or are we going to see an ANC that is more policy-focused – attending to matters that need to be attended to?

“It is all about policy coherence and response and implementation. To earn trust, the ANC will have to demonstrate how it will take us out of this crisis.”

University of South Africa political science professor Dirk Kotze said while the ANC would use January 8 to present its programme of action, much attention would be devoted to this year’s local government polls.

brians@citizen.co.za

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