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LEGISLATURE, GOVERNANCE AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
1. PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY
Participatory democracy can be enhanced by addressing the following issues:
Public participation unit to educate on the role of public in the elections process in relation to service delivery.
Government documents must be simplified and where possible they must be produced in languages understood by the community.
We need to explore appropriate mechanisms to empower communities to engage better with the state.
Strengthen all formal and informal nodes of contact between civil society, the executive, legislature and administration.
Institute an aggressive national programme of civic education that familiarises all citizens with the Constitution, new structures, citizen rights and obligations, participation and so forth.
Government to be encouraged to systematically review whether a hierarchy of recourse avenues
Exist for dissatisfied citizens;
Are accessible to all, and
Function effectively at all levels of government and in all sectors
A. Ward Committees
There is a need to review how ward committees do their work to ensure that recommendations made through public consultations are addressed by the council.
Roles of public representatives, ward committees and CDWs must be clarified to resolve challenges that have arisen.
Ward public meetings should be convened regularly (quarterly).
A review should be undertaken to determine:
Adequate resources are made available to ensure that ward committees function.
Appropriate and uniform approaches to compensate ward committee members for their expenses.
Work with progressive civil society to mobilise communities to engage with government policies and programmes.
ANC branches should actively mobilise communities to participate in the public hearings on municipal integrated development plans and budgets.
B. Izimbizo
Commitments made at public meetings should be followed up by the relevant public representatives to ensure that other spheres of government are not held accountable for such commitments.
Need to improve on the coordination of izimbizo by the three spheres of government to avoid competition.
Need to analyse issues arising from the izimbizo to ensure follow up on implementation.
A calendar of izimbizo must be developed to enhance effective participation.
C. Public representatives
Capacitation of public representatives must also include councillors so as to help them to execute their responsibility.
Public representatives' work to be guided by the organisation and must seek to complement work of the constitutional structures to build branches and strengthen community relations.
Legislature and council work should be simplified and talk to community issues.
Decentralisation of constituency offices to enable councilors to have offices.
Parliamentary, legislature and council hearings must be held in ward communities to give them a voice.
D. CDWs
Role of CDWs must be further clarified and ensure that their work complements councilors.
CDWs should be coordinated from the office of the Premier and mayors.
CDWs should not be allowed to stand for political office in the municipality to avoid conflict of interest.
The process of recruitment should be clarified and reviewed to ensure transparency and acceptance by all stakeholders.
2. ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The need to transform the political system at local government level and create better accountability mechanisms between mayoral committees and the mayor.
Equitable distribution of resources should be reviewed in order to respond to service delivery challenges.
How do we ensure that competing needs are dealt with correctly and make sure that allocation of resources is responding to these issues (unions demanding salary increase vs. service delivery).
Ensure that cross boundary municipalities are done away with before the next local government elections.
Positive gains have been registered over the past seven years and legislative environment has created better scope to improve on areas of services delivery.
ANC must intervene before section 139 interventions where there are political issues.
District municipalities must be given resources and capacity to ensure coordination.
Evaluation and monitoring may need alignment at system- MFMA.
There is a need for an objective performance review of political office bearers, municipal managers and others deployed to local government to ensure effective service delivery.
Need for youth development agency based on youth development strategy in all municipalities.
Review of public office bearers remuneration in order to address current remuneration based on fiscal capacity of municipalities.
Review the ordinances at local government level and repeal those that are no longer valid.
3. TRANSFORMATION OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE AND JUDICIARY
One of the important elements for transformation is: equality before the law, access through the use of appropriate language, access to justice by enabling access to courts for all our people.
Our approach to the transformation of the public service and the judiciary must be informed by a broader institutional transformation process, informed by the African Charter on People's and Human Rights.
We need to find ways of maintaining the political consciousness of cadres deployed in the public sector, by ensuring that the movement retains dynamic contact with them.
Need to have competent, responsive and sensitive judiciary (mindset, gender, etc).
Strengthen interface with the people by providing quality services.
As we transform the institutional framework, we need to go beyond the deployment of individuals to institutions and have a comprehensive deployment strategy of people with requisite skills.
Transformation of the judiciary in the lower courts must be fast tracked.
Independence of the judiciary must be maintained while responding to real challenges of transformation.
Consideration should be given to the appointment, development and training of lay assessors to compensate for the inadequate transformation amongst the judicial officers (judges, magistrate etc).
Consideration should be given to the establishment of small claims courts in rural areas.
Role of the judiciary and their ability to do work without compromising their independence.
4. ANTI-CORRUPTION
The NGC reaffirmed the solemn declaration of the membership of the ANC that we join the organisation voluntarily and without motives of material advantage or personal gain.
The ANC must remain at the forefront of the national campaign against corruption.
We need to strengthen the comprehensive mechanisms against the perpetrators of corruption as well as the beneficiaries at all levels of governance and in the public and private sectors.
5. CAPACITY OF THE STATE
Sharing of human resources among the three spheres of government in order to respond to the capacity challenges on service delivery issues.
Develop a sustainable programme for delivery of services and support for local municipalities without a tax base.
Speedy implementation of the single public service framework will enhance service delivery.
Often the different spheres of government are sending mixed signals to the community and there is a need to improve the coordination between different spheres of government.
Demarcation issues must strive to integrate communities (single tax base). All outstanding issues with respect of cross boundary municipalities should be resolved before the local government elections.
Amalgamation of youth and women's development structures to ensure that issues pertaining to young people and women are dealt with from an integrated approach. The amalgamation of youth development structures should follow the conclusion of an integrated youth development strategy and a feasibility study.
Introduce performance monitoring legislation and identify gaps.
6. ON INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY BUILDING FOR IMPROVING SERVICE DELIVERY
Strengthen government at all levels to be able to deal with lack of delivery among three spheres of government.
Over reliance on consultants in municipalities is undermining the ability of the municipality to develop its capacity and ensure that critical skills are retained.
We must develop a clear skills development strategy and implementation plan.
7. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR, PARLIAMENT AND PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURES
Capacity of the legislatures to do oversight over the executive and hold it (executive) accountable.
Management and understanding of the separation of powers between the organs of the state to enable our democracy to function with the clear understanding and appreciation of their distinct roles.
Review of provinces in the context of the increasing devolution of powers and functions to municipalities and this must be done speedily to give certainty and stabilise the governance institutions.
The NEC should discuss and finalise outstanding issues in relation to the role of provincial legislatures in the provincial budget process.
8. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ANC AND GOVERNANCE STRUCTURES
Strengthen caucus structures at all levels so that they can give clear political direction to all the deployed cadres in that institutions.
Election of ANC public representatives must be informed and guided by the political approach determined through the existing ANC policies by the NEC.
Where appointed to executive positions in government, new members of the ANC, who do not qualify to stand as leadership at branch level, should not necessarily sit ex-officio on the executive structures of the ANC.
Weak organisational structures contribute towards lack of accountability of public representatives.
We must strengthen ANC branches and empower them to work with communities.
Important ANC documents like the Freedom Charter and Strategy and Tactics must be made available in all official languages.
Access to information by ANC structures must be improved and ANC structures, parliamentary and constituency offices must be centres of information.
ANC members must be active in the different sectors in the communities including active participation in these structures (SGBs, CPFs and other community structures). The members of the ANC should also be at the forefront of non-governmental community structures and non-statutory forums.
The ANC should mobilise community members to participate in community structures (professionals, business, etc).
Provincial programmes targeted at branches and regions to create awareness of the functioning of the judiciary and transformation initiatives.
The ANC constitutional structures should give strategic direction to governance structures and unified leadership.
The ANC must introduce clear performance measurements for all public representatives and to allow constituencies to do an evaluation while accepting that branches must also conduct such.
ANC needs to create internal capacity to monitor implementation of decisions taken by way of resolutions.
It further needs to develop evaluation capability with respect to impact of policies on special interest groups it had identified, e.g. the poorest of the poor, women, youth, etc.
Through undertaking projects and campaigns, learn through action! Revitalise Letsema campaign.
The ANC must audit what is reflected in the manifesto and what has been delivered on the ground.
The Know Your Neighbourhood campaign must be taken up by all our structures as part of the process of building a people's contract to advance the vision of the Freedom Charter.
9. Post Employment Restrictions
We need to investigate measure to deal with potential conflict of interest relating to access to work in the public sector.
THEORY OF DEVELOPMENT
The NGC engaged in exhaustive discussion on the paper "Development and Underdevelopment: Learning from experience to overcome the two economy divide".
A number of weaknesses were identified in the document. In particular, it did not base itself on a comprehensive analysis of our economic policies and programmes to date, and their strengths and weaknesses. Secondly, the document was not pitched at a level that would be conducive to robust discussion at the branch level. Thirdly, the document did not integrate a gendered analysis.
Nevertheless, the purpose of the paper was to generate discussion and deepen our understanding of the issues we face, and in this task it has certainly succeeded. This has contributed to the ongoing process of developing a common developmental vision. That vision is intimately linked to the ANC's conception of the National Democratic Revolution.
The central challenge our movement faces in the Second Decade of Freedom is to defeat poverty and substantially reduce the level of unemployment.
This means that the ANC and Government must produce a coherent development strategy. Elements of this would involve identifying where we need to move to and what strategic leaps we need to get there.
OVERCOMING THE TWO ECONOMY DIVIDE
The legacy of colonialism and apartheid continues to reproduce patterns of development and underdevelopment in our society. At a general level, we can approach these problems in terms of two economies: the first is developed, globally integrated and modern, while the second is underdeveloped and marginalised.
Nevertheless, we should be clear that we have one economy, albeit structurally divided and polarised along lines of wealth and inequality, development and underdevelopment.
As such, there can be no Chinese Wall between interventions in the first economy and the second economy. Our interventions should aim to restructure the economy as a whole. This includes interventions in the 'first economy' to restructure towards more labour absorbing growth.
We must also specifically address the question of interventions for bottom up development, particularly in the townships and rural areas. Such interventions include investment in social and economic infrastructure, supporting local development and employment initiatives, especially for the activities of small enterprises and cooperatives and investment in education, training and health. The barriers of discrimination, as well as deficiencies in the spatial patterns of our communities, must be overcome in order to build staircases from the second into the first economy. We also need to build mechanisms that link people in the first economy - salary earners and businesses - to support activities in the second economy.
INDUSTRIAL POLICY
South Africa's economy has been historically dependent on the resources sector, particularly mining. The pattern of development that this has generated continues to constrain our economic growth. This results in challenges that affect every aspect of our economic transformation and development strategy.
Addressing the challenges of poverty and unemployment requires us to lead the economy toward a new pattern of development, involving a diversified industrial base. This in turn requires a clearly articulated industrial strategy. Such a strategy should be based on a clear assessment of our industrial policy interventions to date, and learning that has been generated from such interventions.
It is a strategy that should:
Seek to promote sectors that are likely to generate labour-absorbing growth in the future and those that may not in themselves be labour-absorbing, but which have strong linkages to labour absorbing sectors
Establish clear and well-articulated plans in relation to declining sectors, including long term and comprehensive conversion programmes. This should include a consideration of the role that cooperatives can play.
Be informed by an integrated spatial framework
The key challenge is to address the mismatch between the supply of largely unskilled and semi-skilled labour that our history has bequeathed, and the demand for skilled labour that the economy is now generating. Only if significant steps are taken to build new economic activities to absorb the surplus of unskilled and semi-skilled labour can we hope to address the challenge of unemployment.
It is on the basis of these priorities that we will be able to articulate a coherent set of policies in respect of, among other issues, the cost of capital, the cost of labour, directing investment and skills development.
There is also a need to urgently review the implementation of our strategies to create work and fight poverty, particularly those agreed at the recent Growth and Development Summit.
AGRARIAN REFORM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
As part of building a people's contract to advance the vision of the Freedom Charter, we must re-affirm the charter's call that 'The Land Shall be Shared Among Those Who Work It".
Both commissions stressed the centrality of agrarian reform in our developmental vision. In particular there is a need to accelerate the process of agrarian reform, which would require a more assertive implementation of our current programme. This should include further consideration of the manner in which the constitutional provisions relating to land reform are realised in policy practice, including the 'willing buyer - willing seller" approach. We should also monitor and limit foreign ownership of land.
At the same time, our developmental vision must continue to integrate rural development, which empowers our people and advances the economic development of the rural masses.
THE DEVELOPMENTAL STATE
The developmental state must be conceptualised in concrete terms. It is a state with a programme around which it is able to mobilise society at large. It is also a state with the capacity to intervene in order to restructure the economy, including through public investment.
The task of building a developmental state in South Africa must address a number of challenges, including:
19.1. Identifying the kind of institutional reform, at the level of the state, which we would need to undergo to establish an effective developmental apparatus.
19.2. Building the requisite capacity and skills within the state to manage the tasks of development
19.3. Ensuring that development finance institutions act in concert to back our overarching developmental approach, particularly as it relates to the transfer of resources from the 'first' to the 'second' economy.
19.4. Improving the capacity of local government and integrating our development plans across all spheres of the state.
In many international cases, the developmental state has been characterised by a high degree of integration between business and government. The South African developmental state has different advantages and challenges. While we seek to engage private capital strategically, in South Africa the developmental state needs to be buttressed and guided by a mass-based, democratic liberation movement in a context in which the economy is still dominated by a developed, but largely white, capitalist class.
THE COST OF CAPITAL
The discussion document addresses the question of factor prices (i.e. the cost of labour and capital), which is an important issue for us to consider further. However, our debates should not focus exclusively on factor prices: we should also address the social and property relations that undergird these economic realities.
As important as the 'cost of capital' is, it was felt that more attention should be focussed on the key constraints to sustaining a high rate of investment. These include, amongst other factors, the skills shortage, the need for infrastructure development, and the need for clearer sector strategies.
With respect to the exchange rate the commissions reaffirmed the need for a stable and competitive currency.
The conduct of monetary policy, including the operations of the Reserve Bank, should seek to complement our developmental vision.
LABOUR MARKETS
The Freedom Charter affirms that "There Shall be Work and Security!" Since 1994, the legislative and regulatory environment of the labour market has been radically transformed, and in the process many of the Charter's demands have been realised. The labour market framework now in place builds stability, and reduces tension, conflict and strikes. It has allowed for massive social transformation without significant disruptions to production, which must be regarded as a major achievement of the democratic order.
In this context, whatever recommendations we make on the question of labour market reform should be informed by deeper understanding of labour markets that takes account of a broad range of inputs.
Further research is required to quantify the effects of labour market regulation for job creation, particularly in the second economy. This research must answer questions about the efficiency of institutions and labour market outcomes, in order to identify the broader inefficiencies in the labour market and their impact on labour absorption and job creation.
In the context of answers to these questions, labour market reform should be considered as one part of a broader developmental vision, which links industrial policy, macroeconomic policy and social policy to our objectives of halving unemployment by 2014.
EDUCATION, TRAINING
The long-term solutions to the problems of unemployment clearly include education and training. Significant progress has been made over the last ten years in building and improving the skills profile of our people.We need a clear assessment of the progress we have made and the challenges that remain.
We must increase our investment in skills development and also act to improve the efficiency of that investment.
At the same time, we must continue to build and strengthen the institutions that we have recently created to promote skills development and labour absorption, particularly amongst the youth.
YOUTH AND WOMEN
The challenge of youth unemployment is vast and complex, and cannot be resolved through seemingly simple solutions. It requires a wide range of targeted developmental interventions, which require a greater degree of coherence in relation to government strategy.
This should include the creation of a dedicated Youth Development Agency, building upon current initiatives and established on the basis of a feasibility study.
We must also intensify the roll out of learnership and internship programmes. Furthermore, to ensure that educational institutions, especially at tertiary level, are able to contribute to the tasks of development, will require ongoing work to re-orientate curricula.
The majority of women, especially black and working class women, form part of the second economy.
Our decision to institute a quota of 50% women in the ANC's lists of candidates should be backed by a clear programme which accelerates the economic development and empowerment of poor and working class women, and articulates a clear strategy towards the economic empowerment of women, that will enable them to participate effectively in the economy.
TOWARDS THE 52ND CONFERENCE OF THE ANC
As we approach the 52nd conference of the ANC, we should pay particular attention to the following:
37.1. Building the capacity of ANC cadres to engage in economic debates at every level. We should ensure that economic debates do not become the preserve of a few 'experts'.
37.2. Intensifying the debates within our movement, our alliance and society at large with a view to developing and adopting a clear and coherent development strategy that will take us towards the goals of halving unemployment and poverty by the year 2014.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Introduction
The commissions based their discussions on a presentation made Cde Aziz Pahad as well as the review of the Stellenbosch resolutions.
Generally, both commissions concluded that significant work has been carried out in support of the decisions of the last NGC and the Stellenbosch conference. Furthermore, our characterisation of the global forces and the assessment of the international balance of forces remain valid.
The Commission reflected on the following three challenges:
2.1. Poverty and underdevelopment
2.2. Peace and security
2.3. Restructuring of global exercise of power
Consolidating the African Agenda
The commission reaffirmed that poverty constitutes the deepest and most dangerous structural fault in the contemporary world and global society, and that this is most manifest in the African continent. Consequently, Africa stands as the biggest challenge that the global community faces. This calls for greater focus on Africa, which necessarily has to be led by an assertive African leadership resolved to shape the destiny of the continent. It is in this context that the commission strongly supported the continued engagement of the ANC and government with the African Agenda through strengthening African Union structures including the Pan African Parliament, support for NEPAD and the struggle for peace and the peaceful resolution of conflict.
The commission, having in mind the significant progress registered in advancing the African Agenda since Stellenbosch, noted that we are at a critical point where real possibilities exist to further advance this Agenda.
The commission noted that since Stellenbosch our interventions in the DRC and Burundi have assisted in decisively advancing the peace process. Both these African countries are now at the threshold of holding democratic elections.
In Côte d'Ivoire the appointment of our President as the African Union mediator has confirmed the recognition of the genuine commitment of our movement to peace and stability in our continent. We noted that whatever the remaining challenges, significant progress has been made in assisting the people of Côte d'Ivoire.
The African Union has also tasked South Africa to chair the African Union's post-conflict reconstruction committee on Sudan. This, together with the assistance we provide to the SPLA/M both as the ANC and government, will contribute to the stabilisation of the Horn of Africa.
The NGC commends the role played by South African Women in Dialogue (SAWID) in promoting dialogue amongst South African women and those women living in centres engulfed by conflict on the continent and calls for all the necessary support to be given to SAWID by the ANC and government.
Given these advances, we need to defend the gains achieved, by pursuing multi-pronged approaches directed at both government and civil society in these countries, aimed at building democratic institutions and to support the embryonic progressive political party structures.
The commission further recommended that the ANC should make a detailed assessment of the impact of natural resources (oil, water and minerals) on continental peace and security.
Global Governance
The commission noted that the global system continues to be characterised by the absence of the balance of power with significant concentration of power in one super power. As part of the progressive movement our task remains that of a decisive redefinition of this system of global governance in the interest of the poor.
As regards the UN reform the Commission noted the elaboration of a common African position (Ezulwini Consensus for which the SA government has given its full support). The commission expressed concern about the lack of popular engagement with this process and called upon the ANC to work with other structures of civil society to elaborate South Africa's position including the reasons why South Africa has put forward her candidature for an expanded UN Security Council.
The commission noted the significant lack of progress towards the attainment of MDGs in Africa. Whilst recognising that the Millennium Review Summit in September 2005 provides an important platform to discuss corrective measures, the ANC should mobilise international public opinion to put pressure on the developed countries to honour the commitments they have already made.
The commission noted with concern that there was lack of adequate mobilisation of our people in support of the Beijing Programme of Action in the build up to the review meeting in New York earlier this year. The commission called on the ANC to make adequate preparations in future.
The commission expressed concern at the lack of progress at the latest Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review meeting in May 2005. We reaffirm our position to defend the right of non-nuclear states to exploit nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. The commission noted and supported the ongoing efforts by South Africa to facilitate dialogue between Iran and major western powers.
International Solidarity
In the current global environment the interests of the people of the south will best be served by building a strong global progressive movement in support of development and a just world order.
The Commission noted efforts by Luthuli House to strengthen party to party relations as well as relations with other progressive formations. This is particularly important to consolidate democracy and peace as well as assist in advancing a progressive development paradigm. The commission however noted the limitations imposed by the absence of strong progressive formations in many countries in Africa. We stress the importance of ongoing work with any embryonic progressive structures as may exist in sister countries.
The NGC welcomed the hosting of the Pan African Women's Organisation (PAWO) congress in South Africa in July 2006 and calls on the movement and the government to give the necessary support. This congress will focus on the restructuring of PAWO and position the women of the continent to meet the new challenges of the African Renaissance.
We noted efforts made by our government to support the resolution of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict by engaging both parties to the conflict and based on the respect of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
Recalling the ANC's historic support for the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) peoples right to self determination and our fraternal relations with Polisario Front, the commission commended the decision by the government to give recognition and humanitarian assistance to Western Sahara (SADR) and urges both ANC and the Government to do everything possible to bring a lasting solution to this problem.
The commission recognises the work being done by the ANC in building an International Progressive Solidarity Movement comprising civil, youth and women's organisations. Priority should also be given to maintaining contact with the former Anti-Apartheid Movement as part of building this International Progressive Solidarity Movement. The necessary resources should be committed to this task.
ANC Organisational Challenges
The commission noted some work done by the NEC Sub Committee on International Relations in fulfillment of the Stellenbosch resolutions. We noted significant constraints experienced as a consequence of limited resources. The commission called for an urgent implementation of the decisions taken at Stellenbosch particularly with respect to the strengthening of the HQ unit dealing with International Relations.
The NGC noted the lack of focus in our branches on issues of international relations, and calls on the PECs and RECs to establish or strengthen the International Relations sub-committees within our structures, including at branch level. These committees should work together with the sub-committees on political education to promote and deepen understanding and campaigns on International Relations.
The commission reflected on the importance of building a strong ECOSOC chapter in South Africa to help anchor our AU programmes amongst the masses of our people. The commission expressed concern at the current weaknesses of our local ECOSOC and urged the ANC to attend to the urgent task of mobilising civil society structures.
The commission recommends ANC cadres abroad be involved creatively in the ANC's International Relations Unit
RESOLUTIONS
1. Democracy, Good Governance and Human Rights
Noting:
1. Progress registered on the continent with respect to democratisation, promotion of good governance and respect for the rule of law and human rights;
2. Progress with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM); decisive movement towards elections in DRC and Burundi;
3. The role played by the African Union (AU) in leading this effort; and
4. The recent elections in Zimbabwe and expressing concern about current developments.
And further:
Re-calling the Stellenbosch resolution on good governance and democracy in Africa.
Believes that:
1. Democracy, good governance and respect for the rule of law and human rights are key pre-requisites for the renaissance of our continent.
2. Only the people of Zimbabwe hold primary responsibility for solving their problems;
3. Our current effort to interact with all parties concerned including civil society is an important contribution to finding a solution to the problem;
Therefore resolves:
1. To continue working with progressive forces for the implementation of the APRM, capacity building and the realisation of the constitutive act of the AU;
2. Interact with parties and other role players in DRC and Burundi to attain objectives of lasting peace based on democracy and popular participation;
3. That the ANC and the government of South Africa give urgency to the ongoing engagement with the parties in Zimbabwe.
2. G8
Noting:
1. That the upcoming summit of the G8 involving a number of developing countries presents an opportunity for further North-South dialogue;
2. The G8 commitment to the G8 Africa Action plan;
3. That the G8 countries have committed themselves to canceling the debt of 18 Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) including 14 in Africa;
Resolves:
1. To mandate the ANC to support the African Heads of State in their engagement with their G8 counterparts;
2. To work with the growing international popular movement to intensify
solidarity with the continent.
And
Calls upon the G8 and other developed countries to cancel all debt owed by African Countries.
3. UN Reform
Noting that:
The process of UN Reform has been under discussion for more than a decade and the NGC is encouraged by efforts to move this process toward finality.
The UN cannot lose the opportunity of its 60th anniversary to adopt practical and measurable outcomes.
Resolves:
1. That the NGC supports the process of UN Reform, and supports, defends and promotes the Ezulwini consensus as an Africa position in engaging the UN member states;
2. That the ANC NGC endorses the position of the ANC NEC and the government for SA to serve as one of the African countries on the expanded and reformed UN Security Council; and
3. That we mobilise all South Africans in support of this position.
Message to world-wide concerts on "Make Poverty History"
1. The second African National Congress (ANC) National General Council (NGC) welcomes the global renewal of commitment to eradicate poverty, promote peace, security and sustainable development, essential for humankind to live in dignity.
2. Extensive support throughout the world, has been mobilised as part of the collective demand to "Make Poverty History", to draw attention on the eve of the G8 Summit, to the plight of millions of people living in dire poverty.
Therefore:
The second ANC NGC, in Tshwane salutes the thousands of people mobilised by the concerts in South Africa, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, Italy, Russia, USA and Canada.
We thank you and wish you every success.
PEACE AND STABILITY
Commission resolved as follows:
1. Community Forums
1.1. To support the establishment of the Community Safety Forums (CSFs);
1.2. To agree that the Community Policing Forum (CPF) be a sub-committee of the CSF and that we identify the role of other peace and stability departments (such as Correctional Services, Home Affairs, Justice and others) in relation to the other sub-committees of the CSF;
1.3. That, within the CSFs, there must be focused attention on crimes committed against women, children, pensioners and disabled persons;
1.4. That ANC structures must elaborate for many communities the role of the CPFs, the other sub-committees and the CSF;
1.5. That the CSFs must be aligned with the municipal Integrated Development Programmes (IDPs) and resourced through relevant national departments and local government structures to meet their minimum requirements.
2. Correctional Services
That
2.1. There must be proper communication with communities to explain such important programmes as remissions, so that they too can play an important and conscious role in the rehabilitation and re-integration of ex-offenders into communities;
2.2. The government must pay urgent attention to the establishment of Child Safety Homes for children in conflict with the law;
2.3. The Correctional Services White Paper must be made known to the public.
3. Safety and Security
3.1. To support that there be a single national police service in line with the SA Constitution;
3.2. That the Forensic Science Laboratory must remain within the police
services;
3.3. ANC structures to ensure that members as well as farm-workers are encouraged to join the Reservists in order to participate in the promotion of the safety and security of the farm-workers and communities;
3.4. To amend the South Africa Police Services Act to be in line with the South African Constitution within a year;
3.5. To educate the children in schools through civic education programmes about safety and security matters;
3.6. To continue to address the challenges of racism and gender within the police services;
3.7. That the SAPS must engage the Transport Department to facilitate the attainment of driving licences by recruits from disadvantaged communities who may not possess such.
4. Home Affairs
4.1. That government should intensify the campaigns against crime and corruption within the department;
4.2. The department should intensify the campaign to improve service delivery, in particular as it relates to women, children, the poor and rural people. This should include ensuring that we make it easier for people to attain their documents (without undue obstacles) whilst not compromising the rules and preventing documents being obtained by wrong and undeserving people;
4.3. The ANC should establish a task team to develop an ANC Immigration Policy, to give effect to the Stellenbosch Conference resolution.
5. MK Military Veterans
5.1. That Defence Advisory Boards need to address the matters of veterans through their reviewal process;
5.2. That the ANC must address the plight of the unemployed and demobilised
ex-Combatants;
5.3. To review the age limit (younger than 35) for special pensions;
5.4. To ensure that the Reserve Forces must absorb the majority of the ex-Combatants of the non-statutory forces, especially given the challenges of lack of education and skills among many, which was not out of their own choosing;
5.5. That the government must explore the possibilities of deployment of ex-Combatants in active service such as: border policing, metro police, crime intelligence and uniformed SAPS;
5.6. That in addressing skills development, government should resolve the obstacles in different Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), and review the management of the Defence SETA;
5.7. That the MKMVA must participate in the NEC Peace and Stability Sub-Committee at all levels;
5.8. That the ANC must provide support, including resources, for MKMVA;
5.9. That relevant government departments, such as Housing, Social Development, Public Works and others must provide assistance and support for ex-Combatants and their associations, and ensure the provision of health services to ex-Combatants through the SA Military Health Service (SAMHS);
5.10. That ANC must set up a Commission to investigate outstanding issues and make recommendations regarding solutions;
5.11. That the ANC must give full support to the new SA Military Veterans Association, which will unify MK, APLA, AZANLA, CMVO, SA Coloured Corps and the TBVC forces.
6. Judiciary
That
6.1. The ANC must be unequivocal in what it means about the transformation of the judiciary in order to close the information gap between ANC structures, the community and government;
6.2. The ANC should ensure that transformation of the criminal justice system involves transformation of the entire cluster of peace and stability departments;
6.3. NGC support the current process to transform and rationalise all the aspects of our Court structures and personnel, including:
The establishment of the extensive mechanisms to transform and rationalise the superior court structures,
The establishment of a complete mechanism to deal with grievances against judicial officers, and
The restructuring of the Justice College to provide quality training to judicial officers, prosecutors and other justice officials, without undermining the independence of the judiciary.
7. Intelligence
That
7.1. NGC notes that with increased resources, the need has arisen to focus on core business such as improved data collection, analysis, assessment, targeted recruitment, training and capacity building.
7.2. Peace and Stability Sub-Committees of the ANC at local levels, as well as CSFs must also find a way dynamically to interact with the intelligence services, which would also drastically improve both the awareness of the role of the intelligence services and cooperation with and support from the community for the services;
7.3. Support the review of the National Security Framework.
8. Peace and Stability Sub-Committee
That
8.1. The ANC must implement the Stellenbosch resolution to replicate the Sub-Committee at all the levels of our organisation to address the peace and stability challenges;
8.2. The ANC leadership should invite ANC cadres deployed at senior levels in government at different tiers to participate in the Peace and Stability Sub-Committee.
8.3. The ANC Peace and Stability Sub-Committee must be seized with the political challenges reflected by the current social disturbances in various communities.
IDEOLOGICAL STRUGGLE AND CADRE DEVELOPMENT
INTRODUCTION
The Commissions received guiding inputs, which provided the context for ideological struggle and cadre development in the movement. The inputs noted that these tasks are informed by the strategic objective of the movement, which is the creation of a non-racial, non-sexist and democratic society.
The tactics we employ in pursuit of these objectives further informs
ideological struggle and cadre development. These are:
Strengthening the ANC as a movement that lead society in social transformation;
Deepening democracy, the culture of human rights and people-driven change;
Ensure that democratic forces wield and utilise state power to pursue social change; and
Work with progressive forces globally to build a better Africa and world.
The commissions' inputs and discussions were also informed by the resolutions of 50th and 51st National Conferences as well as the first NGC in 2000.
The commissions were mindful of the critical medium-term programmatic priorities to attain our strategic objective: in particular speeding up economic growth and employment, bridging the gap between the two economies; increase access to basic services, improving the safety of communities, pursuing the African agenda and improving the organisation and the capacity of the state to meet these objectives.
1. ON IDEOLOGICAL STRUGGLE
The commissions noted that we live in a unipolar world, dominated by capitalism, including in South Africa. This results in the stratification and division of society into competing classes, and into haves and have-nots. At the same time, this system encourages tendencies such as unhealthy competition, crass materialism and conspicuous consumption.
It is within this context that the ANC needs to engage and assert its world-view, values and character. This requires the movement continually to refine its strategic orientation. We must be clear on what makes us different, in both theory and practice.
The commissions noted the link between strategic orientation and values, the development of society and the material conditions of our people.
This places specific obligations on ANC cadres to be steeped in the values of the movement, to continually sharpen their theoretical skills, and to conduct themselves in a manner true to the values and character of the movement, including the promotion of non-sexism.
Furthermore, ideological struggle also entails leading all of society in building a common patriotism and moving beyond the divisions of the past.
The progress that we are making in transformation and nation-building has brought into the ranks of the movement many new members, including from other parties.
The new situation has also seen the emergence of issue-based social movements, which mobilise around legitimate grievances, but do so in a manner that may conflict with programmes and values of the ANC. The principal cause of such developments, particularly the recent upheavals in a number of localities is the weakness of ANC structures and thus their inability to give leadership to communities.
The commissions thus recommend:
We must reaffirm the ideological orientation of the ANC as that of "revolutionary African nationalism", and "a disciplined force of the left".
The movement must seek to develop its own organic intellectuals schooled in its ideological orientation, and at the same time engage and influence this sector of society.
We need to simplify theoretical issues and debates in a manner that allows for broad participation of all our members at all levels of the movement, and broader society.
All meetings of ANC structures, especially at branch level, must be characterised by political discussions on current as well as theoretical issues, linking them to programmatic, governance and administrative tasks.
We must actively strive to build ideological coherence and unity of action within the Alliance, in pursuit of the NDR and minimise contradictions and conflicts at practical level.
The movement must invest in the political and ideological development programmes of the ANCYL and support its role as a preparatory school of new cadres of the movement. Similarly, special attention needs to be paid to ideological work within the ANC Women's League, and ensuring that women become an active part of ANC programmes at all levels.
We must pay close attention to issues pertaining to the socialisation of new generations in institutions such as the family, schools, and further and higher education institutions. Within this context, consideration should be given to the revival of the pioneer movement.
2. ON CADRE DEVELOPMENT
The commissions noted that as a mass movement, the ANC must carefully consider its recruitment strategies to ensure that it reflects an active presence in its ranks of all the motive forces. In order to pursue its mission, it must ensure that it sharpens its ability to continually renew and replenish itself.
We noted the impact of the position of the ANC as the ruling party and of the national and global context in which we operate on cadres of the ANC and of the Leagues.
The commissions recommended:
We must take further the Mafikeng and Stellenbosch resolutions on cadre development, including:
Institutionalising political schools at all levels of the movement;
Initiating and supporting study circles at all levels, especially in the branches;
A common curriculum that is implemented throughout the country;
Introducing refresher courses to ensure continual renewal and relevance of our ideas;
Producing documents in all different languages and in simple and understandable forms;
Implementing induction of new members and leadership collectives and ensuring that the requirement of our Constitution with regard to the oath by new members is implemented;
Effectively utilising the skills that we develop, through the creation of cadre databases.
We must implement the Ekurhuleni resolutions on joint Alliance political development programmes.
The commissions noted the importance for renewal and replenishment of the ANC of a strong youth and student movement. In this regard, they recommended:
Support for the ANCYL as a preparatory school of the movement;
A special programme targeting COSAS and the mobilisation of high school and further education students.
The importance of the mobilisation of students at higher institutions and strengthening SASCO
As part of monitoring progress on cadre development, all Executive structures and the NEC, PEC and REC deployees must report on a regular basis.
Social mobilisation and the media
We must take further the Mafikeng and Stellenbosch resolutions on communications, including:
Appropriate employment of the various levels of communication - agitation, information and education - among the motive forces and society at large.
Encouraging leaders and members at all level to engage on a continuous basis in the public discourse.
Develop and support community media including radio.
Continuous direct contact with the people through a variety of methods (door to door, izimbizo, etc) beyond election campaigns.
Engaging the media on issues of ownership, outlook, culture and their role to inform, educate and entertain in a manner that builds national unity and promotes involvement of citizens in the programmes of change - this challenge applies especially to the public broadcaster.
Strengthening communication units in government across all spheres.
The core mission of the ANC remains the mobilisation of the people as active participants in social transformation. In this regard, we should develop an approach towards the mobilisation of various sectoral formations, including the deployment of NEC, PEC and REC members to work with specific sectors.
NATION BUILDING AND PATRIOTISM
The commissions noted the progress made in nation-building and the challenges remaining in building a truly non-racial society. Commissions reaffirmed that much more work needed to be done to achieve this objective, including implementation of programmes to better the lives of all, popularisation of national symbols, arts and culture, sporting and other activities that help to build a sense of a shared South Africanness.
GENERAL
The NEC Political Education and Communications Committees should develop an implementation plan to take forward these recommendations, and regularly report to the NEC.
SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
1. SOCIAL SECURITY
1.1. Council noted good progress (UIF, extension of the child support grants; fraud being curbed).
1.2. Council recommends that ANC branches should educate communities about services available and how to access them (e.g, through campaigns).
1.3. ANC cadres to encourage communities to correct their ID documents to ensure access to benefits.
1.4. Recommend that social security grant system be reviewed with respect to its growth, backlogs and abuse and consider extending grants to those aged 18 or still in school.
1.5. Need to explore ways to ensure grants linked to sustainable livelihoods through a developmental approach rather than a welfare approach.
1.6. Grants should be given to child minders and not necessarily the parents only.
1.7. Review disability grant system including temporary and permanent disability grants.
1.8. Need to link access to social grants to education, skills and employment and immunisation.
1.9. Need permanent structures for pay points (rather than tents); post offices and banks should be used where possible.
1.10. To improve the social security system need increased integration especially between the Dept of Social Development/Social Security Agency and Home Affairs.
1.11. ANC to continue to explore opportunities for extending the social net and consider the pros and cons of the BIG issue.
1.12. Special pensions Act no 96 of 1996 be amended to ensure that it covers all veterans; age limit to be lowered.
1.13. Distribution of national lottery funds to be monitored.
1.14. Ensure that all civil servants practice Batho Pele.
1.15. Encourage registration of traditional marriages e.g. use Women's month.
1.16. Government needs to encourage emerging black farmers especially in rural areas (self sufficiency and food security).
1.17. Need to accelerate food gardens in both urban and rural areas and create a food garden movement.
1.18. Encourage one stop service delivery models.
1.19. Need to conduct a review of progress with regard to women, youth and people with disabilities
2. BASIC SERVICES
2.1. Agencies that provide basic services should ensure that these services are accessible to the poor in particular.
2.2. Provincial and national government to capacitate municipalities to provide basic services especially in rural areas (Accelerate Project Consolidate)
3. HEALTH FOR ALL
3.1. Need to continue to strengthen the health care system at public sector clinics and hospitals and ensure appropriately staffed and resourced facilities especially in rural areas, including the training, recruitment and retention of additional health professionals; and the training of medical assistants and other mid level health workers.
3.2. Need to accelerate achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
3.3. Need to give clinic committees and hospital boards guidelines on their roles and responsibilities and ANC cadres are encouraged to participate in these structures.
3.4. Members are encouraged to work with support groups in communities.
3.5. Need to improve co-ordination and working relationship between home-based care (HBC) and clinics and expand the HBC programme.
3.6. Support the government programmes on healthy lifestyles which includes physical activity, nutrition, reduction of tobacco and alcohol use, etc.
3.7. Encourage the expansion of wellness programmes for health personnel.
3.8. Government should take action against those who act in ways that are harmful to women's health for example back street terminations of pregnancies.
3.9. On an ongoing basis ANC members are encouraged to raise problems with service delivery with relevant local structures.
3.10. Community and especially family members are encouraged to assist hospitals to care for the sick.
3.11. NGC should endorse the community health worker programme and ANC
members should avail themselves of this opportunity.
3.12. Government should explore the pros and cons of making HIV a notifiable disease.
3.13. NGC should endorse the importance of nutrition as the basis for good health and ANC branches should be encouraged to undertake healthy lifestyles campaigns.
3.14. Government should investigate ways to bring down the cost of private hospital services.
3.15. Government should research the safety, efficacy and quality of traditional medicines.
4. HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT
4.1. Need to accelerate the implementation of the skills development strategy especially in rural and farming areas, including increasing awareness of this strategy.
4.2. Encourage ANC members to participate in School Governing Bodies.
4.3. Review school funding model and its impact on the poor.
4.4. Provide information to branches to inform communities about free education
4.5. Provide more information on the curriculum with respect to the
implementation of the following: IT; life skills; and agricultural skills.
4.6. Need to establish a redress fund for small schools to enable them to implement the new curriculum.
4.7. Absence of bursaries for the FET sector affects access of the poor;
also establish more FET institutions in rural areas.
4.8. Review and strengthen the ABET sector.
4.9. Need to integrate homeless children into learning institutions.
4.10. integrate issues of moral regeneration into schools.
4.11. Support government's integrated ECD strategy.
4.12. Develop skills for local production of goods and services.
4.13. Review the targeting and effectiveness of the school feeding programme.
4.14. Review the impact of restructuring of higher education and monitor its funding and enrolment trends.
4.15. Review the role of SGBs and the Schools Act.
4.16. NGC to endorse the government's language policy.
4.17. Need strategies for children who fail matric.
4.18. NGC to endorse expansion of programmes on maths, science and technology.
4.19. Support for teachers performance management system and review the National Teachers Awards.
4.20. Consider using teachers as part time psycho-social counsellors.
4.21. ANC to discourage teachers as candidates for part time local government councilor positions.
5. HOUSING AND HUMAN SETTLEMENT
5.1. NGC endorses the human settlement strategy of Dept of Housing.
5.2. Investigate the inaccessibility of prime land due to high prices.
5.3. Need moratorium on sale of land to foreigners & regulate the price of land.
5.4. Strengthen local government capacity to improve service delivery in housing.
5.5. Consider hosting a land and housing summit.
5.6. Stop the sale of RDP houses except to government.
5.7. Strengthen the participation of communities in the people's housing processes.
5.8. Need to explore housing co-operatives for single women for example.
5.9. Need to review the role of financial institutions - banks should provide more loans.
5.10. Government is selling state land when there is a shortage of houses; place moratorium on sale of state land.
5.11. Government has assets in various cities that are not utilised - use this to house people close to the economic hubs.
5.12. Need to accelerate strategies to curb corruption in the allocation of RDP houses.
5.13. Need to link housing development to BEE (especially increase participation of women).
5.14. Need to accelerate the hostel redevelopment programme.
5.15. Need to find ways of completing houses that were started but not completed.
6. SOCIAL COHESION
6.1. Lack of transformation in a number of sporting codes - need transformation charters and a national indaba process.
6.2. Increase provision of sports facilities in particular to rural areas and schools and training of educators.
6.3. ANC sports desk needs to be more vocal and monitor transformation in sports.
6.4. Need to take stock of youth development (many complaints about youth institutions) - may need to amalgamate all youth institutions as proposed by the Secretary General.
6.5. Libraries (esp rural areas) have insufficient resources - need to identify sponsors and encourage communities to use these facilities and encourage reading.
6.6. Encourage municipalities to include sports facilities in IDPs and to ensure that they are accessible and appropriate to women and people with disabilities.
6.7. ANC branches to support children who participate in sports.
6.8. Need to encourage young girls in particular to participate in sports and ensure that security is provided.
6.9. Department of Arts and Culture should explore ways of sustaining cultural practices.
6.10. Values to be used to promote social cohesion and nation building
7. GENERAL
7.1. Call on big business to increase its social commitment.
7.2. NGC urges the Human Rights Commission to release its report on abuses in farming areas.
7.3. Need to strengthen strategies to support the NEPAD agenda.