ANC floats new party structure
New proposals include more deputy secretaries general, two deputy presidents and strengthening the integrity commission
Sweeping changes to the ANC constitution to streamline the party’s functioning, end gatekeeping and prevent internal disputes from going to court will be tabled at its elective conference next month. The proposed amendments include creating a second deputy president position, as proposed by President Jacob Zuma earlier this year, and having up to three deputy secretaries general — to increase efficiency and decrease conflict over the party’s to leadership posts.
They also propose dumping the national working committee (NWC), which handles the running of the party between national executive committee (NEC) meetings. It could be replaced by an extended full-time secretariat consisting of the elected officials (the top six) and an additional five NEC members.
The proposed amendments emanate from suggestions from the ANC’s branches and other structures and were consolidated by its constitutional affairs committee, a subcommittee of the NEC.
The proposed amendments were sent to branches for comment by secretary general Gwede Mantashe on September 7, with responses due by Thursday this week.
They will be debated at the ANC conference and, if accepted by branches, ratified early on in the proceedings, before the party leadership elections. The ballot papers, which are printed after this stage of the conference, will be based on whichever formulation is agreed on.
Some branches are already nominating on the basis of extended slates in anticipation of a changed electoral format. The proponents of the second deputy presidency argue it should go to the unsuccessful presidential candidate with the most votes as a way of promoting unity.
In an introduction to the ninth and final draft of the amendments, constitutional affairs chairperson Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele said the subcommittee considered the “critical questions” raised at the ANC policy conference earlier this year.
They were also motivated by the experience of the national disciplinary committee and its appeal body since 2012 — which has seen disputes moving to the courts rather than being resolved in party forums — and were aimed at better managing contestation in the party.
The amendments include clarification of the NEC’s powers to “appoint or dis-appoint” public representatives at national, provincial and local level and to manage their performance.
The NEC could be expanded from 60 members to 80, with the NWC being dropped and replaced with an expanded secretariat. Apart from the elected officials, the secretariat would include the elected chairpersons of the NEC’s political education, communications, organisation, policy and elections subcommittees.
Alternatively, the NWC could be retained, but with 50% of its members deployed outside the Cabinet to ensure accountability by the executive deployees to party structures.
The veterans league could either remain as it is, or could be converted into a council of elders who would advise the ANC but who would not stand for office and instead would monitor the integrity commission.
A third option is for veterans to act as an advisory council, but with the freedom to stand for party office.
An official structure would be established of party officials, with its decisions subject to review by the NEC, in terms of further amendments.
There are two proposals for strengthening the secretary general’s office, which has seen organisational mayhem during Mantashe’s term.
One is the creation of three deputies for organising, elections and campaigns and administration. The other is for two deputies, one dealing with governance and the other with organisation.
Mthembi-Mahanyele said the changes would create an “enabling structure for the secretary general to complete their duties”.
The amendments also propose changes to the party electoral commission’s format and time of composition in a bid to manage contestation and avoid disputed results, which could lead to another breakaway from the party. The commission runs the elections at the national conference.
“In an environment where slate politics and political contestation and the access to political office carry a high premium, emphasis is being placed on the values and character that aspirants to political office should possess,” Mthembi-Mahanyele said.
She said competition for power often meant that election outcomes are not readily accepted on the grounds that results were manipulated. “This creates an environment of mistrust and could fracture the organisation.”
The integrity commission would become a constitutional structure of the ANC, remaining independent and informing the leadership of its decisions, with it powers and authority strengthened in the constitution.