The ANC has proposed sweeping changes to its cadre deployment policy, including expanding its representatives to key strategic state entities, and government departments to members of other political parties.
This is a deviation from ANC tradition, which has previously seen the party’s deployment committee recommend the appointments of ANC members to the public service. The tradition came under fire at the Zondo Commission of inquiry where President Cyril Ramaphosa, during his testimony that conceded that people had been appointed to positions for which they were not qualified.
Ramaphosa and ANC chair Gwede Mantashe told the commission that though the ANC recommended appointments to public service, the candidates were still expected to undergo the legally mandated requirements for appointment including submitting applications and meeting the necessary requirements.
As part of its proposals ahead of the party’s national policy conference in July and its national elective conference scheduled for later in 2022, the ANC says deployment of people to the public service should be subjected to a new process “to enable the ANC to access the best human resources to make it a successful governing party, which delivers to our people.”
“Consideration should also be given to introducing a more objective, fact-based performance management system of all ANC public representatives. So, we retain those performing well and not lose skills because of subjective processes and factional activity in the ANC,” the party says.
The party has identified a weakness in its deployment policy where the individuals appointed to its internal leadership structures are also often appointed as public representatives. This exposes the public service to factional ANC politics, which has been identified as one of the key drivers of instability, as seen during the 2021 July riots.
“These processes are further exacerbated when factional wars are raging in the movement. This is very restrictive and limiting on the ANC,” the party says.
The proposals are part of the ANC’s renewal strategy that aims to change the party’s image, which has been tainted in recent years by a series of corruption cases coming out of the Zondo Commission reports involving some of its senior members. Those include deputy state security minister Zizi Kodwa and mineral resources and energy minister Gwede Mantashe — two ANC national executive committee (NEC) members who are viewed as integral to Ramaphosa’s bid for a second term as party president.
The tainted image has seen the ANC’s electoral support steadily decline, reaching its lowest level of 45.59% in the 2021 municipal elections.
“This necessitates the establishment or speedy continuation of a process for the full and immediate implementation of the 54th Conference resolution, dealing with corruption in the movement, for the removal, suspension or [stepping] aside of charged persons, criminal offenders and state capturers, from within our leadership core and membership,” the party’s document reads.
To eliminate the culture of vote-buying, vote-rigging and slate voting during regional, provincial and national conferences, the party proposes the regulation or barring of the use of money for lobbying purposes during internal electoral processes.
To address factionalism, the party proposes amending its constitution to promote “acceptable group or factional activity, and prohibiting toxic or unacceptable forms of factional activity”.
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