UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
ANC NEC Statement- 28 August 1994

ANC NEC Statement- 28 August 1994

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

The National Executive Committee of the ANC met in full plenary on the 27th and 28th August 1994 in Cape Town.

The plenary meeting, presided over by National Chairperson, Comrade Thabo Mbeki, focused on an agenda title "From Resistance to Reconstruction" with the objective of defining the way forward of the ANC during this new phase in our country's history.

The NEC considered an analysis presented by Comrade Thabo Mbeki which examined the challenges facing the ANC as both the leading organisation in the Government of National Unity and the leading body in the broad democratic alliance. The input and discussion identified the defence and advancement of the democratic transformation as the principal task facing the ANC. This broad thrust entails the dismantling of the legacy of apartheid and the creation of a non-racial society. To effect this requires strong, properly functioning and efficient Government at National, Provincial and Local levels, interacting with a multiplicity of organisations of civil society.

The plenary accepted that the ANC's overwhelming majority in the National Parliament and seven of the Provincial Assemblies, in the context of political democracy, enabled the movement to take the lead in organising our entire society for change through the co-ordination of parliament and extra-parliamentary initiatives. The key component of such co-ordinating will be the mobilisation of all the communities for their involvement in the implementation of the Reconstruction and Development Programme.

The NEC noted that there was an unhealthy tendency to misconstrue the creative debates and spirited discourse, that have always characterised the ANC, as factionalism and as potential lines of fissure.

The NEC reaffirmed the unity of the ANC, whether in parliament or out, the unity of the tripartite alliance and the broad Democratic Movement around the common strategic approach embodied in the Reconstruction and Development Programme. The National Executive Committee looked at ways of enhancing co-ordination among these organisations at all levels.

A number of organisational decisions arising from the report of ANC Secretary-General, Comrade Cyril Ramaphosa, to the National Executive Committee were also taken. It was agreed that the National Working Committee would henceforth meet fortnightly on alternate Mondays and that the National Executive Committee should meet at least twice before 17 December 1994. The National Executive Committee ratified National Working Committee decisions regarding the establishment of an ANC sub-headquarter office close to parliament in Cape Town. The restructuring of the ANC's headquarters at Shell House in Johannesburg, salaries paid to ANC personnel, the deployment of elected ANC representatives for constituency work and the establishment of an ANC Constitutional Commission that will co-ordinate the ANC's work in the Constituent Assembly were also discussed.

The National Executive Committee ratified the recommendation that the 49th Regular National Conference of the ANC should be held on 17 December 1994 in the Orange Free State Province.

Preparations for the conference are taking place at various levels of the movement. This includes the rationalisation of ANC Regions into Provinces and other sub-structures. Provincial Conferences will be held in the next three months.

The National Executive Committee reviewed reports on preparations for the Local Government elections and agreed that these efforts need to he intensified.

The National Executive Committee, having received and considered a report on the remuneration of elected officials, reiterated its commitment to the total eradication of all forms of corruption and any "Gravy Train", arising from the apartheid era, in the government. This is what the ANC put in the national agenda, and this is what it is committed to pursue.

The meeting approved the decision of the National Working Committee to set up a sub-committee to examine the issue of salaries for elected public officials. The sub-committee, which is to be made up of members of the National Executive Committee and Representatives of the ANC Parliamentary Caucus, will place its recommendation before the National Working Committee shortly. This is to enable the ANC to develop a formal position for presentation in the public debate in Parliament.

The National Executive Committee was unanimous that this matter should be handled expeditiously, in line with the basic policies and morality of the ANC. This includes ensuring that clarity is established on the appropriate remuneration for elected officials at all levels as well as massive expenses that are incurred by these officials. It also requires an examination of the wide gap between the lowest and highest paid officials in the public sector. Hasty and uninformed judgements can only have the effect of fomenting unnecessary antagonisms between public officials and communities they serve. The ANC is committed to maximum openness and transparency in dealing with this matter.

The National Executive Committee noted that this was its first- ever meeting since the inauguration of the Government of National Unity. The meeting expressed satisfaction with the progress being made to reconcile South African society and implement the RDP, a programme that has, in the main, become the property of the nation as a whole. In this regard the meeting concurred with the 100 days' assessment of President Nelson Mandela on the occasion of his budget debate in parliament.

The meeting expressed confidence that the ANC and its allies are geared for the task of national transformation, including a decisive victory in the Local Government elections. This is crucial for the effective implementation of the RDP and the all round transformation of South African society.

Issued by: Dept. Of Information and Publicity
PO Box 61884
Marshalltown 2107
28 August 1994

From: ancdip@wn.apc.org (tim jenkin)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Date: 29 Aug 94 12:31 BST
Subject: ANC NEC Statement - 28 August 1994

Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar
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