23/12/2014
When the President of the African National Congress, Comrade Jacob
Zuma, delivered the NEC Statement on the occasion of the 102nd
Anniversary at the beginning of this year, he said
“ANC members must recommit ourselves to the notion of service to the
nation. We must follow the example of Comrade Madiba, who dedicated
his whole life to the people of South Africa, our continent and the world….
We have repeated it often that unity is the rock upon which our Movement
is built. Unity of purpose and action to move our people forward.”
It is opportune therefore that as we close of this year, 2014, that the
National Executive Committee had declared “The Year of United Action to
Move South Africa Forward”, we must revisit the words of President Jacob
Zuma and the tasks of the movement that the NEC had declared as
imperative to advancing our revolution.
As South Africans prepare to take much needed rest at the end of an
extremely eventful year, we must, of necessity, assess the road we have
traveled and the strides we have made as an organization to ensure and
entrench “unity of purpose and action to move our people forward”
Government will, in good time, provide us all with its own scorecard on
how the state has fared in delivering to the aspirations of our people
during this period. As the ANC, ours is to understand the terrain in which
we operate, the balance of forces that define it and the progress being
made towards the attainment of the strategic goal of the National
Democratic Revolution which is the creation of a democratic, non-racial,
non-sexist, united and prosperous South Africa; underpinned by the
implementation of our prime political mandate and programme – the
Freedom Charter.
The decisive and overwhelming victory of the African National Congress in
the 5th General Elections was once again confirmation of the confidence
the masses of our people continue to have in the ability, experience and
commitment of the ANC to move South Africa forward. This faith in our
movement is one that the ANC does not take lightly or for granted. It is for
this reason therefore that the movement will continue to take stock of our
successes and whilst doing so also caution ourselves and our public
representatives to never take our people’s confidence in the movement
lightly.
We must know that the overwhelming mandate to govern is one that we
must continue to earn through word and deed in the ex*****on of our
daily service. Ours is to be of service to the nation. When our people go to
the polls, they vote for the ANC not because of the headlines that speak of
its successes or those that predict its imminent demise, they vote for the
ANC because on a daily basis, they can see and feel delivery for a better
life for all. Indeed, with no fear of contradiction, we declare that the ANC
and its government has changed for the better the lives of millions of the
historically oppressed peoples of South Africa.
The 5th democratic elections held this year demonstrated the consolidation
of our democratic order. Like the 4 General Elections preceding the 7th
May 2014 Elections, South Africans took to the polls in a peaceful manner.
With the eyes of the continent and the world at large on South Africa, the
5th democratic elections were unambiguously declared free, fair, peaceful
and transparent.
Despite very robust electioneering by all political parties and a few isolated
incidents of violence, South Africans demonstrated political tolerance and
a maturing democracy where every citizen is afforded an opportunity and
protected by our supreme law to start, belong and vote for a party of their
own choice.
Like in preceding elections, new parties contested elections – some faring
better than others – and this practice once more reaffirmed our society’s
appreciation for a plurality of views and opinions on what needs to be
done to build the country that so many of our countrymen and women
fought for.
The outcomes of the 2014 General Elections led to the reconfiguration of
Parliament and Parliamentary politics. A number of small parties
evaporated, others continued with their quest to protect minority rights
and privilege at all costs and an strange alliance of unlikely bed fellows
developed – Parliament became the new battlefield for opposition parties
that had failed to win the right to govern through the ballot box.
Instead, in addition to another failed strategy to attempt to co-govern with
the ANC using the Courts, they set out to make Parliament ungovernable.
We are pleased that our Members of Parliament understand that the
strategy of those who oppose progress is to delay and derail the
implementation of our Manifesto, the Peoples’ Manifesto, through
disruption and disorder.
We are confident that moving into the new year, ANC MPs will keep their
eyes firmly on the prize which is driving and accelerating the radical
socio-economic transformation which is the main preoccupation of our
people rather than the theatrics of opposition parties in Parliament.
It is still our call that Parliament must get its house into order, enforce its
rules and restore its dignity to avoid descending this important institution
of our democracy to chaos and anarchy. Baseless fabrications claiming that
the President has not appeared before Parliament as he is required by the
Rules and the Constitution must be dismissed with our people
understanding clearly that in the 5 months of the 5th Administration, the
President has already appeared no less than 5 times in Parliament.
Away from the sideshows of the opposition though, in 2014 South Africans
celebrated the good story that is 20 years of freedom and democracy.
Whilst significant progress has been made on almost every front, our
society continues to battle with an economy that caters for too few people
and is still largely in white hands.
The land question remains extremely emotive and unresolved and the
delicate and difficult work of building a united and cohesive society is
undermined by persistent racism, rampant abuse of women and children
and the corrosive impact of corruption. During the 103rd Anniversary
Celebrations, the statement of the National Executive Committee will
reflect on these matters and what is to be done with these pressing
challenges.
The African National Congress welcomes though the strides that have been
made in these areas including the revision of the Broad-Based Black
Economic Empowerment Codes of Good Practice and the proclamation of
the BBBEE Amendment Act. We have also welcomed the signing into law of
the Public Administration Management Act, which in its quest to promote
professional ethics in public administration, prohibits public servants from
conducting business with the State or being a director of a public or
private company that conducts with the State.
More small businesses are needed to be the lifeblood of the economy.
Young people in particular need to be integrated into the mainstream
economy. The land must be shared amongst those who work it. It is these
pressing matters and others that must occupy our national discourse as we
go into the new year.
It is the hope of the African National Congress that 2015 shall be the year
that South Africans recommit themselves to working together as a people
and as a nation to confront the challenges facing us. The urgent task of
transforming society requires the resilient and tenacious spirit of people
who know, as they have always known, that they are their own liberators.
In the midst of challenges, it is easy to become despondent; however the
progress we have made together tells the good story of a nation capable of
transcending division and intolerances.
Much of what has characterized our national discourse has not assisted to
establish and entrench a national consensus of our common vision, which
is the implementation of the Freedom Charter. The National Development
Plan is our long term vision to attain this objective. The overwhelming
support enjoyed by the NDP in our society confirms the hegemonic policies
of the ANC and its government in our country.
Our call therefore is to patriotic business, civil society, academia and
society at large to work with the ANC, putting shoulder to the wheel to
realize our vision to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030.
Government must play its role to popularize this Plan to each and every
South African to ensure that indeed it becomes a living document guiding
us towards our common vision.
On the 5th January 2015, members of the African National Congress
throughout the country, led by the National Executive Committee of the
ANC will descend in Cape Town for the 103rd Anniversary Celebrations
that will take place on Saturday, 10th January 2015.
The January 8celebrations are significant occasions in the life of the
organisation as it serves as a moment of reflection on the challenges and
tasks confronting the organisation, the Alliance and society and thus
provide a broad guide on the immediate tasks and focus for they year. As
is tradition, the President of the ANC will deliver the NEC Statement that
will outline our programme of action for the year.
As part of the build up to the celebrations, members of the NEC have been
deployed throughout the province of the Western Cape, painting it black,
green and gold. 52 000 people are expected to fill at the Cape Town
Stadium, over 400 busses, more than 30 trains and over 1000 taxis will
ferry them from all corners of the province.
The diversity that is South Africa in its non-racial glory has already
confirmed attendance with expected guests including Die Kaapse Klopse,
farmworkers, members and leaders of the religious sector, guests of
different categories including business, organized labour, women, youth
and may others. This massive celebration will start of the year which will
also see the marking of the 60th Anniversary of the Freedom Charter.
Whilst welcoming the outcomes of our own General Elections earlier this
year, the ANC has also been heartened by the victories of Africa’s
liberation movements across the continent. Regardless of the onslaught
from local and foreign forces to weaken liberation movements within the
region, SWAPO of Namibia, FRELIMO of Mozambique and CCM of Tanzania
reaffirmed the unwavering belief our people have in the liberation
movements to complete the work of the rebuilding of Africa.
This bodes well for our collective vision of progressive internationalism
which continues to gain momentum through amongst others the recent
release of the Cuban 5 by the US. This decision is a culmination of years of
campaigning and petitioning of the U.S. authorities demanding the release
of the Cuban Five and the normalization of relations between the U.S. and
Cuba. The ANC commends President Barack Obama for being the President
of the US who took this bold move following more than 50 years of
strained relations between the two countries.
The ANC wishes the Matric Class of 2014 all success as they await the
outcome of the National Senior Certificate Assessments at the beginning of
the year. The last 5 years of consistent improvement in the Grade 12
results are an indication of the investment we have made in Education.
We welcome improvements in yet another rite of passage with the
reduction in the number of fatalities from botched circumcisions during
the initiation season this year. To all those who will be traveling to
various destinations, we urge you them observe the rules of the road and
arrive alive.
Issued by ANC
