REFLECTIONS BY NDLELENI BOYILANE
This journey needs ALL members to understand that the ANC is founded on political values such as humility, honesty, discipline, mutual respect, constructive criticism, unity, selflessness and service. And these values are what ALL members must be willing to embrace in order to renew.
What we mean with organisational renewal?
It means the ANC must reflect on political and organisational challenges which has made it difficult for it to carry out its work in recent past.
It simply means abandoning some of the harmful practices adopted over the years;
1. No gatekeeping, let all members participate in the life of their organization.
2. Remove gangsterism from the ANC, anyone who assault another member in an ANC platform must be expelled with immediate effect.
3. Empower women and the youth, we must deliberately dilute the patriarchal outlook of the ANC and invest in the youth.
4. Redirect our efforts to the service of the people of the Free State province, the ANC exist to serve.
5. Membership buying, we must do away with the culture of membership buying. It creates members of members instead of members of the ANC. Every member must pay for their membership.
For us to achieve renewal leadership is critical, so we rightfully look at both Paseka Nompondo and Mxolisi Dukwana to navigate the rough seas and direct the ship to safe waters.
Political literature reminds us that around in 1937, President ZR Mahabane also inherited an ANC with dysfunctional structures, un-coordinated provinces, deep-seated divisions and an ideologically distorted ANC vision and character (ie RET).
He embarked on a process of renewing and reviving the ANC. The process involved convening branch meetings in all provinces to discuss organisational challenges, recruit new members and define an approach needed to resolve challenges that faced the organisation.
The renewal efforts by Mahabane’s leadership laid a solid foundation for President Xuma’s leadership collective to improve the membership system; establish the working committee and the ANC Youth League and re-establish the ANCWL. It also developed a clear vision and policies for the ANC.
For this reason, Xuma’s period of leadership marked the beginning of a tradition of planning for the future. So leadership is very critical in this period of renewal. Those are lessons we must take in the Free State as we renew and rebuild our movement.
“The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not represent the opinions or views of Free State Central News“