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Statement of the ANC National Working Committee, 5 April 2017
Meeting Held on the 4th April 2017
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the African National Congress met in
an Special NWC meeting on Tuesday, 4 April 2017. This meeting followed a
closed session of the National Officials held on Monday and Tuesday, 3rd and
4th April respectively.
The NWC Meeting was attended by members of the National Working Committee
and Chairperson and Secretaries of Provincial Structures of the ANC by
invitation in line with Rule 13.7 of the ANC Constitution. The meeting was
called to discuss recent developments in the ANC and the country including
amongst them the call by Alliance Partners for the President of the Republic
of South Africa, Comrade Jacob Zuma, to resign and the state of restlessness
and discontent as portrayed by mobilization by certain sectors.
The events that unfolded following the announcement of the Cabinet Reshuffle
by the President have created anxiety and undue confusion as a result of the
discordant views, in particular of the National Officials of the ANC, on the
reshuffle. The Officials have given to the NWC a candid report about their
serious and difficult disagreement. They have further acknowledged that
their public dissonance on the matter was a mistake that should not be
committed again.
The ANC is gravely concerned about the serious breach of confidentiality
between ourselves and our Alliance Partner, the South African Communist
Party (SACP). This follows from a leak of our discussion held in confidence
in a bilateral meeting between the two parties last week Monday. This leak
was subsequently followed by a fully-fledged media briefing on the contents
of a closed meeting. The African National Congress intends to raise these
matters with the SACP in the next bilateral meeting.
On the Cabinet reshuffle, the NWC recognized and reaffirmed that 52nd
National Conference resolution, whose effect is to say that consultation on
matters of deployment is a principle of the organization and not a favor.
The resolution reads:
55. Conference affirmed that the ANC remains the key strategic centre of
power, which must exercise leadership in pursuit of the objectives of the
NDR. This means that the structures and collectives of the movement must
make the decisions on the direction our country should take collectively
56. Conference thus instructs the incoming NEC to review the political
management of the deployment process and ensure the implementation of the
1997 Resolution on Deployment, with a view of strengthening collective
decision making and consultation on deployment of cadres to senior positions
of authority. This includes strengthening the National Deployment Committee.
57. The Conference further decided on the following specific approaches with
regards to deployment, as discussed at the National Policy Conference..
.. At national government level, Conference agrees
that the ANC President shall be the candidate of the movement for the
President of the Republic. The prerogative of the President, premiers and
mayors to appoint and release members of the cabinet, executive councils and
mayoral committees should be exercised after consultation with the
leadership of the organization
It was against this background and following in-depth discussions that the
National Officials acknowledged shortcomings in their collective management
of the Cabinet reshuffle. Whilst the President is not obligated to make
public the reasons for the removal of Ministers from Cabinet, the Officials
reported to the NWC on the removal of Comrade Pravin Gordhan in particular
as Minister of Finance.
The NWC has accepted the irretrievable breakdown of the relationship between
the President and a member of his Cabinet as sufficient explanation for the
decision taken by the President. The issue of the intelligence report
complicated the matter, creating a lot of unhappiness. This was consequently
presented as the only reason for his removal which was unfortunate and
incorrect.
The National Working Committee congratulates all newly appointed Ministers
and Deputy Ministers. The unfortunate events that transpired following their
appointment should not and do not detract from the fact that they,
individually and collectively, are very capable comrades who have invaluable
skills and experience to offer to the work of government. We have no doubt
they will work with integrity, dedication and humility to serve our people.
The ANC wishes them well in their new roles and calls on South Africans to
rally behind and support them in their quest to move our country forward.
The NWC further expressed its gratitude to those comrades who are no longer
members of the National Executive following the reshuffle. They have served
the ANC and South Africa with diligence. We are confident that they are not
lost to our movement.
The NWC has reaffirmed the decision of the National Executive Committee
(NEC) for the development of an accountability framework and the
strengthening of monitoring and evaluation of the work of cadres deployed in
government. This will allow for objective assessment of their work in
fulfilment of the mandate given to them by the organization.
The National Working Committee reflected on the downgrade of South Africa's
sovereign rating by credit rating agency, Standard and Poor (S&P). This
decision must and does give impetus on the ANC led government to redouble
its efforts to avoid similar decisions by the other ratings agencies. We
have noted the concerns raised by S&P in particular around the decisions to
remove Cde Pravin Gordhan, anxieties about perceived political instability
and worries on whether the direction and trajectory of economic policy will
change.
The ANC and its government remains firmly committed to sound and prudent
financial management. The ANC has full confidence in the newly appointed
Minister of Finance, Comrade Malusi Gigaba and the Deputy Minister of
Finance, Comrade Sfiso Buthelezi. We will offer them our unequivocal support
in executing the budget that was tabled by Comrade Pravin Gordhan following
approval by Cabinet after thoroughgoing consultations. Any other
expenditure, including on building nuclear capacity, will only be done at a
pace and scale South Africa can afford, following stringent and transparent
processes in line with the Constitution and other relevant laws.
We remain committed to keeping the expenditure ceiling in the Medium Term
Expenditure Framework (MTEF) intact, taking steps to reinforce governance at
the State Owned Companies (SOC). The ANC led government will support SOCs to
implement their investment programs and for their boards and management to,
at all times, follow the law and exercise their fiduciary duties without
fear or favour. Our financial institutions including the banks, National
Treasury, Reserve Bank and the South African Revenue Services (SARS) are
solid, stable and functioning well. Our energy supply has stabilized and the
infrastructure development program is on track.
The ANC remains committed to radical economic transformation through the
implementation of our unambiguous fiscal policies which are premised on the
need for fiscal consolidation balanced with the imperatives for accelerated
and inclusive growth. No effort should be spared to ensure that we mitigate
against the negative impact of the credit downgrade particularly on the poor
and the working class. Our economy must grow to allow us to accelerate and
deepen economic transformation, create more opportunities for business and
employment.
The NWC has emphasized the need for unity of the ANC and the Alliance in the
interests of South Africa. Whilst disagreements emerge, as they always will
in the execution of our revolution, an atmosphere for genuine debate,
criticism and self-criticism must always be created. Different viewpoints
should always be engaged, regardless of where they emerge.
The ANC has reflected on the calls by the SACP and COSATU amongst others for
President Jacob Zuma to resign from his position as the President of the
Republic of South Africa. The NWC resolved that the Officials and the
members of the NEC must continue to engage with COSATU, SACP and organs of
civil society on this matter.
Issued by Gwede Mantashe, Secretary General, African National Congress
Enquiries:
Zizi Kodwa 082 330 4910
Khusela Sangoni 072 854 5707
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