By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa has told his fellow party members that they should see the drastic decline in support as a call to do better.
Ramaphosa was delivering opening remarks and giving a political overview at the NEC Lekgotla at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg.
The Lekgotla follows the ANC National Executive Committee meeting.
The Lekgotla will focus on the ANC’s six priorities in its 2024 elections manifesto.
Representatives from provinces, ministers, deputy ministers, premiers and executive mayors will attend the gathering.
The party lost its majority in the May 29 poll, which led to the formation of the Government of National Unity.
“The Lekgotla which will take place over a three-day period, follows the three-day NEC meeting which concluded yesterday. Ministers, Deputy Ministers, provincial premiers and executive mayors who will be in attendance, are expected to expand and refine action plans, based on the ANC’s six key priorities communicated at its 2024 elections manifesto. These include driving inclusive growth and job creation, reducing poverty and tackling the high cost of living, as well as building a capable, ethical and developmental state.”
The Lekgotla will conclude on Tuesday.
In his opening speech at the three-day lekgotla, Ramaphosa said local governance required attention, given that municipalities were critical to delivering infrastructure and basic services to people.
“Together with our alliance partners, we agreed that municipalities are most critical for creating conditions in which businesses can grow and create jobs,” he told the meeting, also attended by leaders of the ANC’s alliance partners the South African Communist Party and labour federation Cosatu.
“We have seen the impact of the failure of local government in the election result. We know that many people withheld their votes because of their disappointment and dissatisfaction with the provisions of services and the state of infrastructure at the local level where they live.”
The ANC has been battling to get a grip on power in Gauteng municipalities and recently had to negotiate with ActionSA on an agreement to work together in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.
Ramaphosa said the party’s analysis showed that the ANC recorded the greatest decline in its share of votes in the metros.
“The instability, dysfunction and poor performance of metros like Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini and Buffalo city are clearly reflected in the election result,” he said.
“We therefore need decisive intervention in these metros. This is necessary not simply for the ANC’s electoral prospects, but for the sake of engendering inclusive growth, ensuring that there is job creation and poverty reduction.”
He noted that these metros are where millions of people live and where most economic activity in South Africa takes place. The national executive committee had made an assessment of all hung municipalities across the country and decided to intervene and work with a range of parties to stabilise them, he added.
“During this month, the national task team on coalitions will be engaging, starting in Johannesburg and it will help to restore, rebuild and renew various structures so that we are able to better serve our people,” he said.
Ramaphosa conceded that weakness within the ANC also contributed to its dismal election results.
“The people of South Africa can see and have punished us for the erosion of our values, our principles, the deterioration of our organisational capacity, the prevalence of corruption, patronage, division as well as factionalism,” he said.
For the first time in 30 years of democracy, the liberation movement failed to get over 50% of the vote needed to govern outright, forcing it to form a government of national unity with the Democratic Alliance, the Inkatha Freedom Party, Rise Mzansi, Good, Patriotic Alliance, Al Jama-ah, Freedom Front Plus, Pan Africanist Congress and the United Democratic Movement.
The ANC’s national executive committee has been sitting in Boksburg for the past three days to reflect on various issues including the party’s electoral losses.
“Over the last three days the NEC has deliberated extensively and in detail on the reason for this dramatic decline in support and has had to examine its implications and the action we need to take to restore the ANC’s support within society,” Ramaphosa said.
“In many ways, we have entered uncharted territory, we have never been here before. We have suffered a strategic setback that has far reaching consequences and implications for how we are going to conduct the struggle for fundamental transformation of our country.”
But rather than dwell on it as a decline in electoral support, he said, the party should see it as a call to action.
“This is not the time to be bitter, it is also not the time to feel defeated, it is the time to be better and do better,” Ramaphosa said.
“The task of this lekgotla is therefore to set out the work we need to do at this moment. We need to determine the work we must do in these circumstances, to build a strong, growing and inclusive economy that protects workers’ rights and offers endless opportunities and livelihoods to the people as a whole,” he said.