ANC launches Cadres Forums

ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe addressed party members in Port Alfred last Saturday, in the party’s Cadre Forums initiative.

The Forums are intended to serve as a political platform for the general members of the ANC, Sarah Baartman Regional Secretary Scara Njadayi explained, as well as society at large, to learn about politics of the ANC.

Njadayi said they were an opportunity for members of the public to interact with the party’s leadership about developments within the organisation, the country, the continent and the world.

The Cadres Forums were convened in four Subregions within the ANC’s Sarah Baartman Region, Njadayi said, namely Kouga, Dr Beyers Naude, Ndlambe and Sundays River Valley.

The Cadres Forums were addressed by members of the National Executive Committee. Treasurer General Zweli Mkhize spoke in Sundays River Valley ( Paterson); Deputy Secretary General, Jessie Duarte was in Dr Beyers Naude (Jansenville); Naledi Pandor (NEC/ NWC member) was in the Kouga Subregion (Hankey) and Mantashe was in the Ndlambe Subregion.

Provincial Executive Committee members were also part of the progammes.

Calling on members to honour the memory of OR Tambo in his centenary year, the NEC speakers said corruption was a cancer that was killing the organisation and society. They urged members to avoid it and encouraged the general public not to tolerate it.

Redefining radical economic transformation, they said it was change that had a meaningful impact on the lives of people.

For this reason, local people ( businesses) should benefit in the privileges of government not only by supplying labour. Materials must be procured locally.

However, they cautioned in favour of the necessity of following supply chain processes and avoiding shortcuts.

The branches were encouraged to open avenues for all stakeholders and society to engage on the policies of the ANC, to enhance them and advise where there was a need for amendment.

Specific reference was made to the issue of land.

“There is a demand from the people of South Africa for land,” Njadayi said. “Sarah Baartman is one of those regions that suffered the most during the epoch of land dispossession: Six out of nine wars of resistance were fought in this region.”

In a statement follow- ing the weekend Forums, Njadayi said both the party leadership and the people appealed for the following:

• Intense monitoring on the work of councillors, particularly their visibility.

• The curbing of alleged nepotism in recruitment in municipalities and sector departments.

• The leadership should be decisive in dealing with corruption, laziness and the arrogance of power by some deployees of the ANC. “The mediocre must not be condoned.”

• The leadership must stick to the Constitution in doing their work.

• The ANC must see to it that service delivery reaches everybody.

• Local struggle heroes should be commemorated.

“The Regional Executive Committee will continue with these political schools and it will further devolve them to all branches and units ( voting stations),” Njadayi said.

“The REC further wishes to express appreciation to the people who managed to participate in the Cadres Forums. We appreciate the meaningful contribution they have made in enhancing the thinking and the direction which the organisation must take.”

• Grocott’s Mail did not attend this event and based this report on a statement from the ANC.