African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma celebrates his victory as the new president of the Republic of South Africa. The ANC did not maintain its two-thirds majority in parliament.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
The ANC NEC held its regular meeting on 18 - 20 September 2009.
On the ANC National Spokesperson:
The NEC has appointed Jackson Mthembu as the ANC National Spokesperson to succeed Jessie Duarte who has since joined The Presidency as Chief Operations Officer.
On the resignation of Comrade Bheki Cele from the NEC:
It also considered and accepted Bheki Cele’s resignation as an NEC member following his appointment as the National Commissioner of Police, and in accordance with police regulation. The NEC accepted and applauded this move.
On the Organisation Renewal:
The NEC dedicated much time on President Jacob Zuma's political overview, which focused largely on the renewal of the ANC and implementation of our election manifesto by government. It reaffirmed the Polokwane resolutions, to restore power back to the ANC branches.
It highlighted some of the issues and took the following decisions:
a Political education program will soon be outlined, and will be conducted in a manner that is accessible to all our members.
a proactive ANC involved in mass campaigns on key ANC priorities such as education, health, and rural development.
On the Local Government:
The NEC expressed concern on the violence accompanying "service delivery" protests. It said, “The unprecedented lawlessness that characterizes some of these current protests cannot be allowed to continue and must be taken serious.” The ANC will take a broader view in dealing with these struggles, by addressing the historic spatial planning problems and also resolving genuine problems facing communities
The ANC will convene a Local Government Summit next year in order to address a range of issues raised by the NEC, as part of its preparation for Local Government Elections and the Manifesto. The NEC will continue with its visit to all the regions to give it the necessary understanding and insight on the local government issues.
The NEC welcomed the official launch of the BRT and expressed that it should not only be viewed as a means of transport but also as means of integrating townships with nearest cities - thus contributing to nation-building. The BRT will also relieve the financial burden from the majority of our people and will close the gaps created by apartheid spatial planning.
Recent Protest by Members of the SA Defence Force:
The recent public protest by some members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) made the NEC realize the error of allowing unionisation of the military. The interpretation of the Court Order that a forum for engagement and negotiations need to be created for soldiers means unionisation should be revisited and the process of de-unionisation should begin, while a formal structure for engagement is being created in the SANDF. The appointment of the Commission to pay attention and correct the historic neglect under which soldiers work will be part of this complex process
On Alliance Relations:
The NEC agreed that an urgent Alliance Secretariat, followed by an Alliance Summit, need to be convened urgently in order to take forward progress made since the 52nd ANC National Conference. The NEC acknowledged that long time lapses between Alliance Summits create unnecessary misunderstandings and negative perceptions amongst alliance partners.
The NEC further agreed that the ANC delegation attending the COSATU National Congress should provide leadership and contribute to the building of a strong federation.
On the 2012 ANC National Conference:
The NEC noted the premature public succession debate for the 2012 National Conference. It agreed that the debate is a distraction and should be discontinued. All ANC structures were directed to disengage from this debate and focus on the implementation of the National Conference Resolutions and the 2009 Manifesto commitments.
On the National Question:
The NEC reaffirmed that the ANC is a non-racial organisation defined to lead our country to a united, non-racial, and non-sexist democratic and prosperous South Africa. Our ethnic, cultural and religious diversity should serves to further unite us. Part of the ANC political education work will involve educating our members on the principles of non-racialism. This is the essence of the National Democratic Revolution.
On Zimbabwe:
The NEC expressed satisfaction on the progress made in the attempts to resolve the Zimbabwe question. The recent visit by President Zuma crystallized and entrenched the South African position in this matter. The NEC expressed commitment to continue engaging all the parties in Zimbabwe to make the Global Political Agreement work.
On the National Planning:
The NEC welcomed the publication of the Green paper on the National Planning Commission and the Monitoring and Evaluation. It invited all South Africans to contribute in shaping these two important policy initiatives.
On the Presidential hotline:
The NEC welcomed the Presidential hotline as a positive development in bringing government closer to the people. The hotline responds to the ANC call to ensure that government interacts directly with the masses, in order to be responsive to challenges our communities experience on a daily basis.
On Caster Semenya:
The ANC expressed its disgust at the manner in which the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) and Athletics South Africa (ASA) have handled the Caster Semenya issue. The NEC's view is that Caster has been victimized and subjected to unnecessary public scrutiny, thus denying her dignity. It decided to support her politically.
The next NEC meeting will take place on 06th to 08th November 2009.
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