ANC turns up the heat at meeting
Debates robust and engaging
SERIOUS questions are believed to have been raised about mechanisms to implement policies and the capacity to ensure efficient service delivery – at closed-door sessions on the second day of the ANC policy conference in Midrand.
While debates are said to have become heated at times, many delegates have described the discussions as a process of engagement and trying to persuade the opposing side.
Among the talking points appears to be the title of the ANC’s strategy and tactics document, “The Second Transition”, which is intended as a road map for wholesale socioeconomic transformation to solve unemployment, poverty and inequality.
It is the ANC’s proposed political framework for its role in government and society and, given that it has celebrated its centenary this year, its path into its next 100 years
Sapa quoted ANC treasurergeneral Mathews Phosa as say- ing: “It’s in the cooking pot of the commissions. Let’s wait and see what comes out of that cooking pot.”
It is understood a change in the title would be the least of the party’s concerns.
President Jacob Zuma, on day one of the policy indaba, indicated a title change could be in the offing – alongside other potential changes, or “very innovative proposals”, delegates could make.
Supportive
Justice Minister Jeff Radebe who, as the ANC’s policy chief, chairs the conference drafts and resolutions committee, said the discussions he had attended on the “Second Transition” document had been “very supportive for the context” of the document.
“The discussions are going well,” he said, adding that inputs had been robust.
Jessie Duarte, ANC national executive committee member and the head of monitoring at Luthuli House, said branches had come well prepared.
“People out there are really talking to each other and that’s what it’s about,” she said.
It is understood that the three provinces backing the second transition approach – KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State and Mpumalanga – have been battling to persuade fellow delegates to share their views.
Other provinces have raised concerns about the mechanics of separating the first and second transitions and the lack of analysis of the ANC’s record in dealing with socio-economic challenges in the 18 years it has been in power.
Zuma sought to address such concerns when, in his opening speech, he called for “radical” change, or a “giant leap”, saying the economic structure had remained largely unchanged since 1994.
As delegates were discussing the change for which Zuma called, Radebe and Duarte referred to the Limpopo textbook crisis.
“It’s a bad thing that has happened there,” Radebe said.
“Six months into the year, our children have no textbooks. And to add insult to injury, the textbooks are destroyed. It is a matter of shame.”
According to Department of Basic Education officials, most schools had received textbooks yesterday, although the June 15 deadline set by the courts after a challenge by NGO Section 27 had not been met.
On day two the media encounted several hiccups with security. Overzealous ANC security guards confiscated several journalists’ accreditation tags and deleted one unlucky photographer’s pictures after seizing his camera.
Radebe apologised later, and details were announced of a new media regime allowing closely guarded access to delegates.
The policy conference is running behind schedule, with discussions on the first two nights continuing until well after 11.
It was expected yesterday that the discussions on the Second Transition and organisational renewal documents would be completed by about 5pm, several hours after the time allocated.
Delegates were only then move on to sectoral policy discussions. They were expected to complete these talks late this morning.
The topics of the sectoral discussion papers range from social transformation, which includes the continuation of grants as a key state poverty al- leviation mechanism; education, which includes a proposal for community service for all graduates; and state intervention in the minerals sector.
The discussion document on mining rejects wholesale nationalisation, but calls for a greater role for the state through taxes and royalties.
Apart from the scrapping of the willing buyer, willing seller principle in gaining land for redistribution and reform – all the provinces believe this approach has slowed down the process – several talking points could emerge in discussions.
These include the statuses of the nine provinces and local government following a proposal that the number of metropolitan increased.
Any emerging policy proposals could include the transfer of additional powers to metros, such as those for housing and transport.
Radebe said a constitutional amendment would be needed to move such functions closer to people who frequently judged the state’s performance according to the performance of local and provincial governments.
Phosa was quoted as saying: “It doesn’t matter how beautiful your policies are, how much money we have.
“If the cutting edge of service delivery is not there… we’ll continue to see more protests.”
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