Sanco weighs in on ANC’s poll results

Calls for convening of tripartite council to address supporter decline

AN URGENT tripartite alliance political council should be convened to address the decline in electoral support for the ANC and to start preparing for the 2019 general elections by being responsive to issues that affect communities, the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) has said.

“Areas of discontent that our communities have raised and those that influenced them not to vote for the ANC during the local government elections must be confronted and resolved without further delay,” Sanco general secretary Skhumbuzo Mpanza said in announcing key resolutions adopted at the national executive committee (NEC) meeting held over two days at St George’s Hotel outside Pretoria.

Mpanza said Sanco, as a people-centred and people-driven organisation, had committed itself to reclaim values such as selflessness, humility, and discipline, including unwavering commitment to serve communities and to strive to close the social distance with the masses.

“Our frank and robust analysis of the local government elections results has informed us that the masses of our people have spoken. If the ANC is out of power it is communities of South Africa, especially the poor, who will bear the brunt of policies that are not pro-poor.”

The NEC had called on alliance leaders “to sober up and realise that it would be a huge betrayal to be in denial about what needs to be urgently done to save the national democratic revolution”.

“We have collectively paid dearly for the arrogance and corruption that we should have dealt with decisively and not cowered and retreated at their advance. It is now time for a gear-changer,” Mpanza said.

The NEC had after protracted deliberations acknowledged it was the task of democratic structures of the ANC to decide on the need for their organisation’s early conference.

The NEC cautioned public spats between Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan and the Hawks were not in the interest of the country’s economic recovery plan and efforts to avoid a credit downgrade that would hurt the poor.

“Although we subscribe to the principle of equality before the law and believe that Gordhan’s non-co-operation could set a bad precedence, misinformation as well as blow-by-blow investigation through the media undermines confidentiality, co-operative governance, and professionalism. We appeal for due processes of the law to be followed and for the minister to co-operate with the investigation.” – ANA