Siyabonga Sithole
The ANC has presented a new base document aimed at ensuring and encouraging the party on a path to renewal. Titled: ‘Unity and renewal to advance South Africa's gains’.
This base document was presented by head of ANC's political school, Chris Vondo who summarized the main tenets of this discussion document to delegates gathered at the ANC Greater Johannesburg 15th Regional Conference held at Idle Winds Conference Centre in Centurion on Saturday ahead of the adoption of credentials.
This new proposed policy document, titled under the theme: ‘Reclaiming trust, building unity and deepening economic transformation', and will seek to drive the party' latest renewals project in a bid return the ANC to its former glory following widespread decline of the ruling party at most of the local government elections in 2021.
Vondo said part of the renewal agenda includes implementing the 2012 National Conference Renewal resolutions which declared that the next decade will be the decade of building capable cadres who understand key and fundamental pillars that govern the principles of the ANC.
“ANC has the responsibility to all its members to actively and constructively participate in the life of the organisation. This is our conference everyone must participate in building a stronger ANC in Gauteng and in Johannesburg. To do this, we need to pay attention to the challenges facing us. For that, we need to elect members who possess strong leadership qualities and we ought to ensure that our leaders who inspire confidence,” Vondo said.
Furthermore, Vondo said on the back of dwindling support for the ruling party and as outlined by the recent January 8 statement, the task for the ANC to build and rebuild lost social compacts with the citizens of South Africa in critical sectors of the economy as well of society in order to address challenges faced by the party.
“ We must fix issues of concern since 2019 as the decline of the party has been going on since then. Many of our people have lost their jobs and find themselves on the extreme side of poverty. If we do not pay attention to these issues, we will continue to lose more of our voters and now we need an emergency plan to reverse this tide,” he said.
The base document which will be debated by the conferences and other committees ahead of the national elective conference in December 2022 touches on key pillars of engagement between the ruling party and its alliance partners.
The character of the ANC with many of its key partners in civil society, the working class as well as the role of the ANC in managing populism and the economic development policies that continue to benefit a few at the expense of the majority of ordinary South Africans.
Vondo added that policies of the ANC are now being implemented by the multi party coalitions in the city of Johannesburg which goes to show that policies of the ANC can work only if they get implemented.
“This provincial Conference should reaffirm its commitment to the implementation of the pillars of back to basics.
This pillar of the economy is a very important one. This document will help us lead the transformation agenda alongside other stakeholders including civil society. Right now we have the Informal trade Bill that was adopted and passed by the city of Johannesburg as well as the Township Economic development policy.
Vando said that this would show that the ANC were at the anchors of the economic agenda in the province and that these policies are being implemented as if they belong to the multiparty coalition but are infact those of the ANC.