Thabo Mbeki took to the podium at the Walter Sisulu Memorial Lecture on Saturday and laid bare his concerns about the African National Congress (ANC), its leadership and, by extension, the state of the country.
Former President Mbeki opened his lecture on the anniversary of the adoption of the Freedom Charter by noting that he would not be “discussing the Freedom Charter “.
Mbeki’s memorial lecture
He had more important talking points at hand – “some of the matters that arise because of the posture that was taken in that document.”
Instead, the former president gave an introspective assessment of the party’s current state that adopted the Freedom Charter on 26 June 1955 and is now entrusted with the life and livelihoods of some 60 million South Africans.
The civil war raging within the ANC has dominated headlines since the last elective conference where Cyril Ramaphosa won the presidency by the narrowest of margins.
“It cannot and must not be that if we, the ANC leadership, are trapped in an organisational death wish, SA at large acts in a manner which allows that the macabre within the ANC visits immense disaster on our already suffering population and millions of others elsewhere in our region and continent.”
ANC renewal
There is a very real perception that the ANC is currently at war and which faction wins out will have lasting consequences for the country until credible opposition arises in South Africa’s political landscape.
Reflecting on the ANC leadership’s public commitments to pursuing the renewal of the ANC, the former president questioned the will and ability of the party to effect the change required to deliver effective leadership.
“Obviously and naturally, the question arises: is the ANC national executive committee willing and able to discharge its responsibilities with regard to the ‘absolute and urgent priority’ of the renewal of the ANC?”
Democracy ‘more than just a vote’
Former President’s Mbeki’s cautionary address showed a level of self-awareness and transparency that has been sorely missing from representatives of the party.
The lecture is a timely reminder, with municipal elections and the next ANC elective conference on the horizon, that the ANC’s internal politics directly impacts the fight to improve the lives of millions of South Africans who are living in hopeless poverty.
“Our democracy means more than just a vote. It must be measured by the quality of life of ordinary people, men and women, young and old, rural and urban. It means giving all South Africans an opportunity to share in the country’s wealth, to contribute to their development and improve their lives.”
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