 Mantashe cracks the whip The ANC acknowledged for the first time during its four-day national executive committee meeting at the weekend that the run-up to its Polokwane national conference in 2007 had been a "disaster" that should not be repeated. The party's secretary-general, Gwede Mantashe, was speaking yesterday in the context of the ANC disciplining members who sought to divide the party by opening up the succession debate ahead of the party's national conference next year. He said the debate about the nationalisation of mines, which the ANC Youth League had been advocating, should not be used as a "mischievous lobbying tool". Mantashe's statement could be seen as a warning to ANC Youth League president Julius Malema's followers, who have openly stated that they want Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula to replace him at next year's conference in Mangaung. The league has said that it will campaign to have a leadership that will carry through the nationalisation policy. "Lobbying can be an open season for ill-discipline, it should not be allowed. Once [you] appreciate the fact that the election in 2012 is not a life-and-death situation for individuals, then you will appreciate that there is a responsibility on this leadership to enforce discipline," said Mantashe. The ANC's executive committee meeting was held only a few days after the party's leadership had brought disciplinary charges against Malema and league spokesman Floyd Shivambu. Yesterday Mantashe refused to discuss the charges but launched a thinly veiled attack on the two, saying they should not hide their "ill-discipline" under the veil of political disagreement. He said disciplinary steps taken against individuals should not be seen as an attempt to silence the _expression_ of views. "The ploy to silence people that do not agree would plunge the ANC into anarchy because you are saying to the leadership of the ANC that 'we are going to a conference; please don't enforce discipline. It must be a free for all'." Mantashe said the party's national executive committee had decided to empower party branches. He said ANC branches must be allowed to nominate and elect leaders and not be overrun by a "narrow circle" or "well-resourced" group. He warned that the early nominations of leaders would lead to those in the party who were well-connected and resourced influencing the outcome of its conferences, thus taking away the power of the branches. "What we must never allow is a clumsy debate of names. That will totally take our eyes off the ball of what the national conference will be dealing with. If we talk about succession, you are killing the branches of the ANC because a well-resourced narrow circle debates names and circulates slates, and branches are not allowed to think. "It is the responsibility of the ANC to liberate those branches from the vice of a small grouping that have the monopoly of wisdom, have resources, have a lot of cashflow around elections and therefore determine where the ANC [goes]," Mantashe said. -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . |
- [YCLSA Discussion] Times report of ANC post-NEC press conf... Dominic Tweedie
