There are a few new young ANC sheriffs in town, cracking the whip on party matters and setting the pace for the way things will supposedly be done in future. And with their inclusion in the provincial executive of the organisation in Limpopo they don’t only bring along characteristics like tech savvyness, but a determination often observed among youthful cadres.
Donald Selamolela, who was recently appointed as the ruling party’s Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) spokesperson and chairperson of the sub-committee on communications of the ANC PEC in Limpopo, is one of a handful younger generation leaders in the collective and tasked with guarding Brand ANC. In an interview with Polokwane Observer he spoke about the big responsibility resting upon him, a gigantic task that lies ahead way beyond the 2019 elections.
He was quick to point out that he had not been exposed to the communications space before, but considering the fact that his current position as Director of Youth Development in the Office of the Premier required media coordination and interaction, the new challenge was not altogether foreign territory. Selamolela mentioned he was optimistic about being able to learn with the guidance of others and be equal to the task.
One of his main responsibilities would be to guard the party brand and the most important thing as they guard the brand, some of the current challenges entailed how people have been perceiving the ANC. Hence one of his immediate tasks was to bring about the human face to the ANC, which was what the party was and has always been about – caring about its members and society, that was responsive and outrightly communicated with South Africans, he indicated.
Within a short space of time the newly elected PEC of the ANC had started turning the tides by covering the entire province to spread the message that there was no room for the shortcomings of yesterday, Selamolela reiterated. He expressed that renewal, unity and jobs were central to their message.
With the continuous emphasis on unity in party ranks it didn’t meant members couldn’t have different views on issues but that they had a common purpose of turning around the lives of the people of South Africa, he reckoned. According to Selamolela there was the perception that as an organisation they were divided and if divided they could not deliver a better life for all, therefore it was important at all times to find a point of convergence. Unity didn’t mean conformity though, but robustly differing opinions and at arrival at the point of convergence unity was sacrosanct, he added. The ANC needed to be united for the sake of uniting society, he reckoned.
With the youth and female factors having been introduced to the recently elected ruling party PEC, Selamolela expressed the need for a collective generational mix and female empowerment being non-negotiable as a constitutional imperative.
As the conversation turned to a perceived non-availability of party leaders to address issues leading to service delivery protests and the ongoing culture of disrespecting time to which he said it was a tendency that over time had evolved in ranks and had to be nipped in the bud. By doing so Selamolela added that “as leaders we have to walk the talk” and be seen defeating it. He continued saying if they didn’t value time people would be losing confidence in them for not honouring time meant a sense of disrespect.
Starting this month the ANC PEC would embark on visits to the regions to their deployees within municipalities across the province to communicate one message relating to the spirit of servitude. It meant that in everything they did they had to be guided by it, that hey had to be available when people needed then, be on time, answer questions to their level best and serving people without expectation of anything material, he added. All and sundry, including the older bulls in the herd, have appreciated the need to turn the tides and renewed energy to carry them forward.
Asked whether his utterances constituted election talk, he responded saying they didn’t exist for elections and made it clear it wasn’t an electioneering statement. It was an interesting time for the ANC and in the Thuma Mina spirit they were going to be doing things differently, he opined. After alll said, the party elephant in the room evidently remains too gigantic to be forced out by a single younger spokesperson adamant to effect change on his own, be it lip service or not. It remains to be seen whether a display of youthful determination could manage to move the oldster so set in its ways.
Story & photos: YOLANDE NEL
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