EDITORIAL – Umrabulo 47th Edition by J P Louw, Umrabulo Editor
The need for ANC’s renewal has reached a must-do stage. This inescapable charge is best articulated through the movement’s concerning electoral showing. Election outcomes which emerged with declining support for the ANC are a manifestation of a liberation movement which find itself at an increasing social distance from the people it seeks to serve.
The Diagnostic Report presented at the 5th Policy Conference affirms the fact that challenges which needs urgent attention to turn around this potentially demising trend is primarily about organisational functionality and effectiveness.
Correctly, the 54th National Conference’s was themed “Remember Tambo: Towards Unity, Renewal and Radical Socio-economic Transformation”. This directs attention towards the need to repair an ailing organisation much as it focuses on a more determined need for better and improved livelihoods for all and sundry. At its centre renewal is about building the organisation’s resilience, enhancing its transformative and governance capability and its ability to adapt to changing situations. This it must do so that it can continue to serve, organise and lead the people.
In other words, the Renewal Agenda is a twinned connection about fixing the ANC as much as it is a concern about changing lives and building a democratic society free from all forms of discrimination. It is within this context and stark realities facing the African National Congress that this 47th edition of Umrabulo is themed “Organisational Renewal”.
Though not exhaustive in terms of areas for discussion, contributions made in this edition looks at this subject matter from a number of interesting angles.
Alvin Botes raises intriguing questions in Integrity Commission’s Means and Posture In The Renewal Agenda on whether the ANC’s Integrity Commissions is satisfactorily capacitated and positioned to play its intended role in the organisational renewal process. Bobo Pemba’s Review, Restructure and Reorganise – Imperatives for Renewal questions the revolutionary trademark of current leadership at all levels as well as the kind of individual making up the progressive movement. This point is firmly made in his view that “the revolution is the business of revolutionaries – like teaching is the business of teachers. It cannot be advanced by just ordinary members who have no deeper theoretical understanding of the revolution.” He further proposes a Presidential-led elaborative consultative engagement process if truthful organisation renewal is to be realised.
In Winner Takes All Slate – An ANC Renewal Impediment Zahir Amien pleads for a solutions-orientated approach which could bring divisions and factionalism to a halt, or at least take out the negative sting they currently have on the ANC’s fortunes. In light of current discourse about a district based service delivery model, Khulu Mbongo’s focus is on local government in “The Renewal Agenda Across The Local Government Sphere”. A critical aspect he highlights is the role and readiness of ANC branches in the sought after service delivery model.
Litha Khwalo’s The Ideological Base Behind The Renewal Agenda is a very interesting read on the ideological questions and tendencies related to organisational renewal. Amongst his concerns is the tendency of anti-intellectualism and populism. Particularly on how these have tended to misrepresent and redefine the South African revolution.
In Issues of Renewal 50 Years Post-Morogoro Advocate Sonwabile Mancotywa reflects on a range of consideration in organisational renewal. For example, he touches on the value of Ubuntu as well as the 4th Industrial Revolution as driving factors for organisational renewal. Informed by historical experience, Kutloano Rakoso’s Headline Youth In The ANC Renewal Discourse makes a case for the role and position of young people in the organisational renewal discourse.
Proffessor Muxe Nkondo’s Extract Neoliberal Inclinations Through Revolutionary Morality and Consciousness points to how today’s organisational decay is about neoliberal tendencies that’s unquestionably allowed and embraced in the ANC, public sector and gender equality discourse.
Branches are encouraged to engage on the theme of organisational renewal – this can include presentation of articles published in this edition as a base from which to discuss. To support the organisation of such interactions across the organisation, a Political Education Forum with representation across all ANC provinces and regions have been established. This forum will support rollout of Umrabulo Dialogues and distribution of political education material. Please share with us through social media your experiences in the Umrabulo Dialogues held in your vicinity.
Your comments on published articles is highly encouraged. You are also welcome to make a contribution through e-mail to the Editor by writing to the e-mail address jplouw@thero.co.za. For consideration articles must be at least 2 000 words long (but not more than 3 000 words). Your own copy of Umrabulo Journal is available for download on www.anc1912.org.za as well as www.ortamboschool.org.za. Alternatively, you can also share specific articles of interest to you.
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