MK moots changes to save crisis-ridden ANC

THE Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) council has resolved to change the constitution of the African National Congress (ANC) to close “weaknesses” in the organisation.

This comes as the former MK members held a council over the weekend in Nasrec‚ Soweto‚ where they also discussed the state of its military veterans’ association (MKMVA) and the welfare of former combatants.

“We accordingly declared to call for a review of the ANC constitution‚” said former MK chief of staff, General Siphiwe Nyanda.

“We are going to request a meeting to report to the council after the council adopted resolutions and recommendations that will be forwarded to and discussed with the leadership of the African National Congress.”

He was addressing the media after the senior and former MK members’ council at Liliesleaf Farm‚ in Rivonia yesterday.

“We will go back to the secretary-general of the ANC and the leadership of the ANC to present the suggestion because we believe there are resolutions that will seek to help the ANC to address the challenges that face it‚” said Nyanda‚ who also a former communications minister.

Nyanda said no individual was discussed at the council‚ but rather the state of the organisation and its structures.

“We are worried about the state of the African National Congress‚ we are worried about the MKMVA and we are worried about the state of the ANC veterans’ league.

“The fact that the ANC is going through a period of crisis‚ has necessitated this intervention‚” added Nyanda.

Thabang Makwetla‚ a member of the MK steering committee‚ said the ANC needed to take the interventions of former MK members seriously to address weaknesses in the party.

“Those challenges or factions in the organisation have been with us for a while now … and those weaknesses seek to fix among other things‚ practices which allow for the abuse of members and the abuse of processes,” he said.

“The responsiveness of the leadership of the ANC to some of the sentiments within the organisation is not adequate‚” said Makwetla‚ who is also the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services.

The meeting with the ANC leadership will take place next year. — TMG Digital