ANC to school members on values, integrity
Lessons in ethics will mean cleaner state
The head of the ANC’s new political school David Masondo says if members are trained on values, integrity and ethics, the party will run a better and clean government.
Masondo spoke to Sowetan on Friday a day after the launch of the ANC’s OR Tambo Leadership Academy.
The academy seeks to strengthen political education and build capacity among ANC members and will bear fruit for those occupying government positions, Masondo said.
According to Masondo, ANC members who attend the courses will be better equipped on how to deliver clean governance.
“The main objective is to provide political education in the ANC and the democratic movement as a whole. This is meant to make sure that we build the capacity of our leaders, our members and activists to serve SA better,” Masondo explained.
“If people are trained around the state and how government works when they are in government, they will know what to do and what is expected from them. If people are trained on values, traditions, integrity and ethics of the ANC, we think we will have much better and clean government.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the school in Midrand. It is named after
Political education is not a panacea for all the problems of the ANC
party stalwart and former president Oliver Tambo.
Masondo said what the school is essentially trying to do is institutionalise and professionalise political education.
It will offer up to 10 courses including leadership, political economy, developmental state, ANC vision, values and principles, origins of society, and women emancipation among others.
The school’s curriculum is divided into three phases: strategic, policy and organisational studies. Masondo said each of these have up to 10 courses.
He added that the ANC has not done justice by training some of their members who have climbed up the ladder and are met with hurdles in key government positions.
“The gaps also come from the fact that we keep on recruiting as the ANC, so we have new members that need to be inducted and taught what it means to be an ANC member, what the ANC represents, and how the world works and how to change it.
“So continuous learning and political education is to continuously renew ourselves and to deal with many problems that we have. However, I must indicate that political education is not a panacea for all the problems of the ANC.” Masondo said it is not the school’s responsibility to identify wrongdoers, however, they must be reported and taken to the disciplinary committee and the integrity committee of the ANC. However, if the committees come to a conclusion that certain leaders need to undergo political re-evaluation, then they would heed that call.
The school’s board members include former president Kgalema Motlanthe.