ANC KZN Provincial Lekgotla

A Political Overview

Introduction

By Provincial Chairperson Siboniso A. DumaDurban Coastlands Hotel

26 - 27 February 2023 (Abridged)

We gather on this provincial Lekgotla of 2023, in the year that the National Executive Committee of the ANC has declared “The Year of Decisive Action to Advance the People’s interests and Renewal of our Movement”.

The ANC in Kwazulu-Natal took the same theme and message of the NEC to the people of KwaZulu-Natal on the 5th of February 2023 in our Provincial Statement – which took place in Mpumalanga Township, in Hammarsdale.

Not only did the provincial leadership talk to the Mass of the ANC, as well as our members and supporters on the call for the Year of “Decisive Action to advance people’s interests”, the ANC in KZN further contextualized the message to the material conditions of our context, time and space as a province.

This contextualization took into account our specific problems that what we have emerged from as a province: The July of 2021 Civil Unrest that vandalized tons of businesses and led to loss of jobs, Mass Unemployment in the Province, Long-term Effects of 20202021 COVID-19 lockdown and lately, the devastating Floods that took the lives of our people and destroyed critical infrastructure.

It is Marx who taught us that “Human beings make their own history, but we do not make that history in the circumstances of our choosing”. This enlightening maxim is relevant for the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal in that – “while the ANC makes its own history, the ANC does NOT make that history in the circumstances of its own choosing; we make that history in the midst of other contesting interests”, which are in the main antagonistic to the agenda and priorities of the organisation.

I am sure you will recall that the past Six Months has ushered in fundamental changes in the Revolutionary Movement of Pixley Ka Seme, Oliver Tambo, Anton Lembede, Lillian Ngoyi, Mandela and Sisulu.

After successfully holding its 9th KZN Provincial Conference in July 2022, the ANC produced a mix of leaders who grew up in the progressive congress movement and the youth league of the ANC at large and rose through the ranks –this however does not negate the quality of leadership and depth of content and organisational grounding.

After the watershed 55th National Conference of the ANC, at Nasrec Johannesburg December 2022, the Leadership of the Province has worked Tirelessly to Unite the Province behind the Democratically Elected Leadership which emerged from the last conference – as Led by President Cyril Matamela Ramaphosa with his collective.

A 111 YEARS REVOLUTIONARY PORTFOLIO – AND THE HISTORICAL TASK OF THE LIBERATION MOVEMENT IN WHICH WE SERVE

As this year marks the 111th year since the birth of the ANC, the organisation to this day is packed with an impeccable folder of strides of revolutionary work. To achieve the goal of ending Land Dispossession which was canonized through the 1913 Land Act, to achieve the goals of dismantling the nexus of Capitalism and its exploitative nature upon our people, to achieve the goal of ending Apartheid capitalism (in all its coded forms – neo – imperialism and neo – Bretton woodism).

Our icons in the struggle had to survive long prison terms and torture. It took Solomon Mahlangu to be hung, Christ Hani to be brutally assassinated, Oliver Tambo, John Makhathini, Moses Mabhida - to live in foreign lands to attain the goals of the freedoms enshrined in the Founding Constitution of the ANC and in the Freedom Charter.

ON UNITY, COHESION AND RENEWAL

When the 53rd conference of the ANC reiterated the call for the unity and cohesion of the organisation, the ANC was essentially defending and invoking this solid history of the organisation, which should be carefully considered even in this epoch.

As comrade Secretary General Fikile Mbalula has reiterated: “The call for organisational is not unity of defending incompetency, but unity on matters of principle and progressive politics.” I wish to further make the call that, “One is not correct because he or she is in a crowd, not because he or she stands alone, but a comrade is either correct or otherwise because they are aligned to objective facts at hand’.

Organisationally speaking, there are no ‘good factions’ versus ‘evil factions’, it is all the same. And it is unfortunate that comrades believe that some factions are better than others. Comrades tend to believe that the group they belong to is better for different reasons.

OUR POLITICAL ECONOMY AS AN ORGANISATION THAT IS LEADING GOVERNMENT –THE TWO TERRAIN THEORY. The African National Congress has historically claimed the place of leading society. This is in spite of the fact that in our constitutional democracy, there are many political organisations who could make this claim.

The political hegemony of the ANC which was attained from the 1994 overwhelming electoral victory under President Mandela, earned the ANC the status of Leader of Society. Since 1994 and 2023, the ANC has experienced sharp electoral decline; a) [1] At National Elections, [2] Provincial Elections and [3] Local Government.

The organisation must confront with honest and creative thinking the trend that is happening at the

Bi-Elections and the Last outcome of Voting results at Local municipality level. Without this honest assessment, guided by revolutionary theory and a disciplined scientific method – we will remain in illusions and not draw lessons from what the Numbers are telling us, and the People are telling us. This Lekgotla should be able to achieve some basic points that reflect our understanding of the Time and Space that the revolution finds itself in.

We arrive at this Lekgotla being well aware of the Priorities of the African National Congress as Stated in the January 8 2023 Statement in Mangaung, and the Provincial Statement of the 5th of February 2023 - (which was really a context specific to the province). We are also aware of the 55th National Conference adopted vision 2023 to guide the renewal and rebuilding of the ANC over the next ten years - These priorities related to matters such as: a) Implementation of the RoadMap Towards Vision 2023-02-24 b) Build Branches as a Centre for Community Development c) Build a New Cadre AND Raise the quality of Membership d) Rebuild the Leagues of the ANC e) Strengthen the Alliance with COSATU, SACP AND SANCO f) Strengthen the ANC’s Governing Capacity g) Effective Communication and Social Mobilization h) Advance the African Agenda and International Work i) Ensure Financial sustainability and modernize ANC operations.

ON THE IDEOLOGICAL FRONT, BATTLE OF IDEAS AND REMAINING ENCHORED IN THE PHILOSOPHIES BORN OF STRUGGLE

Do we still have a remnant who are advancing a disciplined outlook of the Left? Or have we neglected that responsibility and space to Social Movements, Radical Opposition, and Interests Groups who are hell-bent to undermining the National Democratic Revolution? As Cde Joe Slovo asked in 1991 – Has Socialism Failed? Is there a remnant that is talking socialism, as an Alternative or different trajectory - in a real sense in the current epoch whether in ANC or Alliance?

This is a question that the alliance has to grapple with. It is a reality that Capitalism has taken over the realm and space – as if the paper of Francis Fukuyama Titled The End of History – The Rise of Capitalism and the Demise of Socialism / Communism (1989) did not warn us sufficiently.

It would appear that the red army is only in existence in our minds only these days. Could we have fallen guilty of having taken the power of the oppressor by main-

Perspective

taining wrong power alliances that would perpetuate oppression instead of liberating our people?

On The Paradigm Shift And Building A Capable State

To which direction should the paradigm shift? The paradigm shift should begin in our understanding that the struggle terrain in its truest sense has three pillars –

[1] THAT THE PEOPLE SHALL GOVERN as FREEDOM CHARTER dictated.

[2] That the liberation movement must place our masses at the Centre of our revolution.

[3] To guard against the un-intended consequences of living in post-colonial liberal democracies – that is, a fundamental lack of real understanding of POWERNOMICS /CAPITALISM.

Failing to understand the latter comrades, will have us place our people as mere voting fodders and this is not what the ANC fought for.

The ANC fought the struggle to liberate Africans in general and blacks in particular – for these groups to have and exercise their democratic rights of casting a vote.

On the CAPABLE STATE, ETHICAL and AGILE STATE

Do we have a sense or picture of this type of state? Do we have a sense of this setup or it remains a fantasy or some idealism that will never be conceived and delivered in reality beyond our mind?

Warning the advanced detachment of the revolution, which has captured the state and advancing a political programme, Karl Marx spoke about the danger of a leadership whose role is ‘nothing else but a crop that is managing the affairs and interests of the Bourgeoisie Class”

Some critical questions remain pertinent to the NDR even on our 29th year of the constitutional democracy. Some of those questions pertain to the role and place of the constitution in advancing the liberation of our people, as enshrined in the constitution of the ANC.

On Law Making

Are we aware that our outlook and legal trajectory that we use and consume remain the trajectory of what is shaped by the MARKET? These are the critical questions that the South African constitution should be continually subjected to by progressive minds – that are looking for constitutional means to transform our country in favour of the poor and marginalized.

ON YOUTH, STUDENT POLITICS AND THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

The Youth and Student politics is dead - so are the Leagues that set the tone in the 90s [e.g SASCO & PYA in our generation]. If we allow a gap to exist between senior leadership and young people, we will lose the opportunity to shape the mind of the young comrades.

The problem with the mind, especially unattended mind is that it can make you a captive in your own body and as revolutionaries - we must equip our minds correctly because it’s how we see the world. As Rene Descartes said, “The task of the mind, is to absorb in any environment”.

A mind Example: The mind is like a [Scaffold] – The scaffold of a mind is what shape the current state of activism in our communities: The power of words like instilling fear, Bible talks about inkanuko yengqondo and inyama. ANC activists should be trained to care for the need of the people.

The cadre must be disciplined at the level of a thought and that’s how we lead the society.

ON THE INTERNATIONAL FRONT.

The Russia-Ukraine war has been a year since it started. This war continues to polarize the balance of power in the global north and European alliances. The unfortunate part about this war is that it continues to put pressure on prizes for gas, oil and other critical commodities that are part of our basket of trade with the Euro-Zone.

While China continues to dominate the world through difficult years, and that they have devalued their currency and stabilise their economy and trade as if things were normal, it (China) remains a weak link to the global geopolitics as it remains in tension with most countries of the west.

A China that peacefully coexists with the emerging and big economies remains a good strategic fit in our BRICS Alliance than a China that is facing militarily with the NATO countries, especially because of our trade ties with China n