Why ANC stalwarts did not attend
THE ANC stalwarts and veterans include all of the remaining members of those imprisoned after the Rivonia Treason Trial.
As stalwarts we have been loyal members of the ANC for many decades.
Our objective is to continue to serve all the people of South Africa and ensure the historical values and principles of the ANC are restored.
As stalwarts we feel a profound responsibility to the movement and the country, to ensure that the principles and values of the ANC are not destroyed. We are therefore shocked at the way the president abused the platform of the ANC policy conference to attack the stalwarts and veterans of the ANC, based on false information.
The stalwarts and veterans are totally perplexed by the bizarre and dishonest statements by the president that we are “so called leaders” and that we are accused of having stated with respect to branches “they said they don’t think the quality of discussions here is at their level. They need serious discussion.
“These are the people who claim they have values and understanding of the ANC.”
We totally reject these assertions by the president and believe that he knows that what they told the delegates at the conference, and through the media the South African public at large, about the stalwarts and veterans, is patently untrue.
He will not be able to produce a shred of evidence to support the shameful statements.
We are also disappointed by the statements accorded to the SG in that he was in all the delegations and meetings with the stalwarts and veterans and knows better our views, which views and feelings were never accurately communicated accurately to the NEC. We believe that the majority of our citizens embrace the values of the Freedom Charter and the constitution and share this view. We would like to believe that we speak on behalf of all members of the ANC who reject corruption; want to see the realisation of our potential as a nation and the elimination of poverty, and the unacceptable levels of inequality.
Why are the stalwarts not participating in the first two days of the ANC policy conference?
As you are no doubt aware, in spite of some media reports to the contrary, we have taken the decision not to participate in the first two days. It may be useful to give some background to this decision:
Late last year, the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) finally agreed to our request for a consultative conference and set aside two days before the policy conference.
Immediately after this meeting of the NEC we had a meeting with the leadership at Luthuli House and requested that this decision should be reviewed to ensure that participants had ample time to engage with discussion documents, including “for the sake of our future”, so there could be the development of a common understanding of the crisis and rational solutions found.
Despite this request no further discussion by the NEC on this issue has taken place.
In our open letter to the NEC we stated, “We once more appeal to the National Executive Committee of the ANC to support and allow the convening of a National Consultative Conference (as described in our document “For the sake of our future”). The conference must be seen as an extraordinary conference where the leadership of the movement together with the veterans and stalwarts of the ANC and MK Council will have the opportunity to critically analyse all the ills that plague our movement; develop and agree on corrective measures to turn the movement around and implement strategies to ensure that the ANC regains its credibility and assume, again, its leadership role in society.”
We further went on to say, “It has and remains our considered view that the NCC held for two days linked with the Policy Conference attended by all ANC delegates to the policy conference, who have not been prepared and mandated to deal with this matter by their branches is an exercise in futility, which may leave our movement and come out of such an NCC in a worse state than it is now. An NCC with representatives of branches of the ANC can only be meaningful if the issues raised by the veterans and stalwarts of the ANC (contained mainly in the “For the sake of South Africa” document) were discussed in the branches of the ANC before coming to participate in such a Consultative Conference.”
The decision of the stalwarts not to participate in the first two days of the policy conference was also based on the following factors:
The failure of the president to raise our proposed separation of the policy conference from the national consultative conference with the national executive committee, as formally promised.
The continued denial by elements of the leadership to accept the decision of the NEC to hold a consultative conference.
The total failure of the delegated leadership of the National Working Committee and the so-called “top six” to work with the stalwarts to plan for a consultative conference. It is a simple fact that there was no planning.
The failure of the officials of the ANC to report back to the national executive committee on the outcomes of discussions with the stalwarts.
The total failure of the leadership to ensure the preparation and circulation of any documents that the participants to the first two days of the policy conference would be able to objectively discuss.
The decision to advertise the first two days of the policy conference as a discussion on “the concerns” of the stalwarts.
It was clear in our discussions with the delegated leadership of the ANC that there was no intention of allowing for a real consultative conference. We also include the letter written on June 9, 2017, by the stalwarts and veterans to the SG indicating our reasons not to participate.
We reasonably believed that by attending and participating in the two days set aside would have been an exercise in futility and would not have provided solutions to the crisis we collectively face.
We remain committed to a process of engagement with all ANC members and with all progressive forces, to ensure that the ANC regains the waning trust and confidence of the people of South Africa.
This press release has been prepared by the ANC stalwarts and veterans (the stalwarts) who are signatories to the document “For the Sake of our Future”(https://www.facebook.com/notes/anc-stalwarts-and-veterans/founding-document-for-the-sake-of-our-future-25thoctober-2016/1234274736640332/).