ANC’s drastic shake-up

Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa has yet to file his annual report.

Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa has yet to file his annual report.

Published Aug 16, 2015

Share

A complete overhaul of the state is on the cards following the ruling ANC’s lekgotla last month.

Some provinces may disappear, with more power vested in municipalities.

Lifestyle audits are also mooted for senior public servants and the top brass of all state-owned companies.

“The government should conduct lifestyle audits for all employees of the state and its related entities. There should be a single vetting agency for the state to vet all strategically placed civil servants (including those in state-owned enterprises), including those who reject promotion even though it comes with an improved remuneration package.”

These are some of the suggestions contained in the discussion documents out of the party’s meeting last month. They have been sent to provincial structures, and will form the basis for discussion and debate in the national general council (NGC) in October.

The NGC is the party’s mid-term conference, and plays a critical role in reviewing and making policy. The party will formally release the council’s discussion papers tomorrow.

One of the most radical proposed changes concerns the future of South Africa’s three spheres of government, and this could form the major part of the deliberations in October.

“At some point, we need to go back to the ANC’s resolution on the Review of Provinces and finalise it whichever way,” reads the document on The Capacity of the State, delivered to the lekgotla by NEC member and Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa.

State capacity is viewed by party policy heavyweights as the most important issue at this year’s NGC. The party believes the creation of a developmental state is the foundation stone for its economic agenda.

However, the state falls short of this requirement, and is plagued by multiple weaknesses. These include poor institutional memory as a result of high staff turnover at the most senior levels, chronic skill shortages and high vacancy rates, corruption, financial mismanagement, lack of co-ordination, and over-reliance on expensive private- sector consultants. Most of these problems manifest in the country’s nine provincial administrations.

At its last conference in December 2012, the ANC resolved to “reform” the provinces with a view to streamlining this sphere of government and devolving more power to municipalities, considered the coalface of government by the ruling party.

The party’s 2012 resolution reads:

“Provinces be reformed, reduced and strengthened; a Presidential Commission be appointed to review the provinces and make proposals on the role of provinces and the number the country should have and their possible boundaries; the Report of the Presidential Commission be presented to the next ANC NGC and any changes that have to be made to the provincial system be given effect to in the 2019 national and provincial elections.”

But none of the recommendations appear to have gone anywhere in the 32 months following the conference. Any proposed restructuring of provinces is likely to be divisive in the ANC, given that provincial and regional politics have become entrenched in the party. Provincial patronage networks are often the lifeblood of the party’s internal politics, and the provinces provide an extra layer of government and state positions.

Changes, particularly those aimed at reducing the number of provinces and downgrading their power, could meet with fierce resistance.

With the NGC less than two months away, there isn’t time to follow the process set out in 2012.

ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa told Independent Media that while no presidential commission had been established since the last conference, the matter is contained in the discussion documents and would be on the agenda of the council.

In a major departure from the party’s traditional approach before elections, the lekgotla also resolved to “publicise the names of mayoral candidates” ahead of the 2016 local government elections.

The move is part of the ANC’s attempts to maintain its grip on power in the metros, in part through “political stability management” strategies.

The party faces serious challenges in next year’s municipal polls and could be on the brink in the Nelson Mandela Metro, where the party has appointed no less than four mayors in the past five years.

The high turnover is part of the party’s attempt to stem chronic underperformance and infighting.

The lekgotla also resolved to kick off the 2016 campaign in earnest, with the party keen to steal a march on the opposition.

“Preparations for the 2016 local government elections need to be set in place immediately. The candidates’ list process should be brought forward much earlier to allow for profiling in communities,” the lekgotla outcomes document reads.

The meeting further committed the ANC to a more responsive stance to the grievances of local communities ahead of the polls.

“We cannot afford to go to local government elections with people who are unpopular and may cost us votes. While we must ensure we follow internal party democracy, we must also ensure our candidates are also acceptable to local communities,” said President Jacob Zuma in his closing address.

Lack of co-ordination, turf battles between departments and spheres of government are among the impediments the lekgotla identified to better state performance.

This is particularly pronounced in the roll-out of large infrastructure projects, with larger opportunities for corruption and patronage.

“One of the key challenges is we do not always work in an integrated manner as the ANC in government.

“One sphere of government builds a large dam but the other sphere fails to connect the local community to the water from that dam, even though there is budgeted money for it…

“In the next 12 months, we must take tough decisions to ensure that government… works seamlessly and to the benefit of all our people…

“This tendency to hide behind formal structures to disguise lack of implementation or, indeed, a desire to control tenders must be brought to an end,” Zuma told the meeting.

Tomorrow the ANC will throw all of these discussions open to its members across the country.

Among the papers which have already been sent to branches are discussions on international relations, health and education, peace and stability, and governance and legislation.

Sunday Independent

Related Topics: