ANC+52nd+National+Conference+2007,+Social+Transformation

ANC 52ND NATIONAL CONFERENCE 2007 - RESOLUTIONS

 * [|Click here to view the PDF Format]**


 * CONTENTS**
 * 1) Organisational Renewal
 * 2) **Social Transformation**
 * 3) Economic Transformation
 * 4) Climate Change
 * 5) Rural Development, Land Reform and Agrarian Change
 * 6) Transformation of State and Governance
 * 7) Peace and Stability
 * 8) International Relations
 * 9) Communications and the Battle of Ideas

=SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION=

96. Mass participation, physical activity and sport programmes must prioritise the involvement of girls, women and people with disability with a view to promoting equity. 97. Funding currently under MIG, which is aimed at sports facilities, should be diverted to the departments of Sports and Recreation and Education. 98. The ANC must ensure that the country's investments in 2010 should result in a lasting legacy for our communities and our people. 99. We review the ANC's draft cultural policy.
 * Noting that,**
 * 1) South Africa has entered its second Decade of Freedom with the strengthening of democracy and the acceleration of the programme to improve the quality of life of all the people.
 * 2) The Conference takes place after the release of the 10 year macro-social report, which among others, asserts the positive mood and confidence in the economy
 * Further noting that,**
 * 1) In the context of our continued resolve to challenge underdevelopment and eradicate poverty, and, against the background of the huge investment in infrastructure and its attendant possibilities, the emphasis on quality education and health must be recognised.
 * 2) We are at the beginning of a long journey to a truly united, democratic and prosperous South Africa, in which the value of all citizens is measured by their humanity, without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation and social status.
 * 3) Whilst many families have access to social grants and other poverty alleviation programmes, many of these households and communities remain trapped in poverty, are dependent on the state and thus unable to access the opportunities created by the positive economic climate.
 * Believing that,**
 * 1) Central to the task of social transformation is the role of the ANC in Government in confronting the challenges of poverty and underdevelopment.
 * 2) At this conjuncture we can and must re-affirm our commitment to redress poverty and inequality.
 * 3) We are building a developmental state and not a welfare state given that in welfare state, dependency is profound.
 * 4) Our attack on poverty must seek to empower people to take themselves out of poverty, while creating adequate social nets to protect the most vulnerable in our society.
 * 5) Beyond poverty alleviation, interventions must seek to develop exit programmes that capacitate households and communities to empower themselves. It is the duty of the developmental state to achieve this.
 * 6) Education and health must be prioritised as the core elements of social transformation.
 * 7) Since Mafikeng and Stellenbosch, in the 13th year of our democracy, we are able to reflect on the transition from an inhumane society characterised by racism, division, inequality, injustice and subjugation to a society that is ostensibly caring, open and democratic, committed to the ethos of non-racialism, non-sexism and freedom.
 * Therefore recommend that,**
 * ON SOCIAL SECURITY AND BROAD SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT,**
 * 1) We must reaffirm the Freedom Charter as a premise when discussing social transformation.
 * 2) That a comprehensive social security net provides a targeted and impeccable approach in eradicating poverty and unemployment.
 * 3) We develop a minimum common basis on all social security intervention programmes by all departments.
 * 4) Equalisation of opportunities, lifelong learning, economic opportunities for persons with disabilities.
 * 5) Grants must not create dependency and thus must be linked to economic activity.
 * 6) We must accelerate all our programmes in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals.
 * 7) We must establish a mandatory system of retirement fund and establish a broad-based retirement fund that covers low-income groups.
 * 8) Strengthen collaboration between the departments of Education and Social Development and other related departments in the provision of Early Childhood Development (ECD).
 * 9) Low cost retirement fund be created.
 * 10) Child support grants be gradually extended to 18 years.
 * 11) Pensionable age must be equalised and be set at 60 years.
 * 12) Coordinated national drug campaign be intensified to fight substance abuse.
 * CHILDREN**
 * Recommend,**
 * 1) The best interest of the child should be paramount, with child-headed households as priority for protection and care.
 * 2) To prioritise the welfare of children and in this regard develop, monitor and measure tools that define and deal with child poverty.
 * 3) Strengthen the current safety nets that deal with child poverty, ongoing murders, disappearances, abuse and neglect.
 * 4) Strengthen childhood development centres and urge communities to understand and deal seriously with the rights of children.
 * 5) Develop a comprehensive strategy on Early Childhood Development.
 * 6) This conference sends a special message of condolences to all the families that have missing children and of those that were killed by adults who are meant to protect them. 31 The ANC abhors the circumstances under which these children died and commits to continue seeking justice to bring the perpetrators to book.
 * ON EDUCATION,**
 * 1) The overarching vision that informs ANC education policy is People's Education for People's Power.
 * 2) Vulnerable children of veterans must be taken care of by the state.
 * 3) Career guidance be a compulsory subject from grade 8 upwards.
 * 4) We must progressively expand the school nutrition programme to include high school learners in poorer communities.
 * 5) National norms and standards to be developed to determine the roles, functions and responsibilities of district offices.
 * 6) Norms and standards should be developed to classify schools, given the variation of school types in provinces.
 * 7) A policy on affirmative measures for HDIs with specific emphasis on infrastructure, access and staff provisioning
 * 8) The duality of public servants elected as councilors undermines both or either of the two with regards to efficiency and this must be reviewed.
 * 9) To affirm that all principals should undertake a leadership, management and governance course
 * 10) To review Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) so as to ensure that it better responds to the skills demand.
 * 11) The establishment of a national education evaluation and development unit for purposes of monitoring, evaluation and support.
 * 12) The no fee schools be expanded to 60% by 2009.
 * 13) Progressively introduce free education for the poor until undergraduate level.
 * 14) The ANC to focus rigorously on the quality of education.
 * 15) Education must be prioritised as one of the most important programmes for the next five years.
 * 16) Maths, science and IT must be promoted and supported, including through Saturday tutorial programmes and bursaries be offered to teachers in this areas.
 * 17) New curriculum must be accompanied with skills development of teachers.
 * 18) Building of schools to replace mud schools must be included in the Expanded Public Works (EPW) programme.
 * 19) We should recruit from foreign countries on scare skills such as maths and science.
 * 20) The NEC should critically consider the outcomes of the recently held education summit with a view to implementing the proposals that emerged.
 * ON HEALTH,**
 * 1) Education and health should be the two key priorities of the ANC for the next years.
 * 2) Reaffirm the implementation of the National Health Insurance System by further strengthening the public health care system and ensuring adequate provision of funding.
 * 3) To develop a reliable single health information system.
 * 4) Government should intervene in the high cost of health provision.
 * 5) There should be health cover for Veterans of the struggle.
 * 6) We should develop a recruitment and Human Resource Development strategy for health professionals.
 * 7) Develop an MoU with foreign countries on the exodus of health professionals.
 * 8) The ANC should further consider the matter of making HIV and AIDS notifiable. In this regard a distinction should be made between the two as these are two conditions. In doing this, the ANC should also consider the negative implications of this recommendation, such as stigma.
 * 9) We accelerate the roll-out of the comprehensive health care programme, such as through the provision of ARV at all health facilities. At the same time we should strengthen capacity to monitor the side-effects of ARV.
 * 10) We accelerate programmes for hospital revitalisation including through innovative solutions that accommodate partnerships.
 * 11) We intensify our efforts to create an environment that promotes positive individual behaviour in our communities, especially amongst young people.
 * 12) There will be no need to adopt a special HIV and AIDS grant as this will be catered for by the comprehensive social security system.
 * 13) The ANC should explore the possibility of a state-owned pharmaceutical company that will respond to and intervene in the curbing of medicine prices.
 * 14) More resources be allocated to programmes on sexual awareness. ANC branches must be actively involved in these programmes.
 * 15) Introduce a policy on African traditional medicine.
 * 16) Caution should be exercised when deciding on PPPs as a solution for the delivery of health services.
 * 17) Diseases such as TB and cancer should be given special attention.
 * ON HOUSING,**
 * 1) There should be housing cover for Veterans of the struggle.
 * 2) Interventions in the housing industry and residential property market to curb the spiraling cost of construction input prices - including the cost of material development and supply.
 * 3) We develop appropriate legislation to prevent the mushrooming of informal settlements.
 * 4) Provision of housing needs should include alternative housing such as rental stock.
 * 5) We adopt a central planning approach for directing resource allocation, distribution and overall coordinated response to human settlements.
 * 6) We restructure the funding mechanism and consolidate all housing-related grants and funding streams.
 * 7) In order to deal effectively with the challenges of human settlements, land acquisition be accelerated through a dedicated Housing Development Agency.
 * 8) A once-off injection of resources and an extraordinary effort be considered for fast-tracking delivery of housing to make a visible impact on poverty.
 * 9) Government considers assisting people with building material to encourage self involvement in the provision of housing needs. This will respond to specific conditions that prevail in rural areas, for example.
 * ON LAND AND AGRICULTURE,**
 * 1) The state must, with immediate effect, regulate but not prohibit ownership of land by non-South Africans. This regulation should take into account the country's commitment to land reform, restitution, redistribution and access to land.
 * 2) The state and mandated entities must exercise their legal right to expropriate property in the public interest for public purpose. Compensation shall be awarded in accordance with the constitution with special emphasis on equity, redress and social justice. All legislation pertaining to expropriation must be aligned with the constitution.
 * 3) We should discard the market-driven land reform and immediately review the principle of willing-seller, willing-buyer so as to accelerate equitable distribution of land.
 * 4) Review the adequacy of post-settlement support in all land reform programmes.
 * 5) The management and control of state land must be under one department.
 * 6) We reaffirm the 51st Conference resolution on a land audit and resolve that it should be conducted within the next 18 months.
 * 7) The allocation of customary land be democratised and should not only be the preserve of the traditional leaders.
 * 8) That redundant land belonging to SOEs and municipalities be transferred for low cost housing.
 * ON BUILDING SOCIAL COHESION THROUGH HERITAGE, ARTS AND CULTURE, SPORTS AND RECREATION,**
 * 1) Government should integrate Ubuntu principles into public policy so as to comprehensively correct the distortions and imbalances not only in our heritage landscape but also in our social, economic and industrial relations.
 * 2) Move away from conservation language to development.
 * 3) We develop a policy that clarifies the ANC's approach to the naming and renaming of geographic places such as streets, towns and public facilities. These guidelines should include principles such as the need to change offensive names representing colonial conquest and apartheid statehood, the need to restore the proud heritage of the indigeneuous people, the need to accommodate diversity in our national heritage and the need to have an inclusive and democratic process, the need to honour, in a non sectarian manner South Africans who have made a sterling contribution to the dawn of democracy and freedom, the need to recognise distinguished men and women in the international community and in Africa, who have contributed immensely to the struggle for freedom. Political education will be critical in educating our people about the naming and renaming discourse.
 * 4) Local government must provide funding for arts and culture.
 * 5) Tourism levy should also benefit our heritage.
 * 6) Indigenous languages be promoted at all schools with an intention that learners be taught in their mother tongue.
 * 7) Affirm the 51st Conference resolution on the establishment of the sports desk at the ANC Head Quarters.
 * 8) One emblem for all sports national teams be adopted.
 * 9) All schools must offer a minimum bouquet of extra mural, mass participation in sport activities.
 * 10) Physical education must be offered as a compulsory subject for learners grade 0-12.
 * ON WATER, FORESTRY AND SANITATION,**

100. Water allocation reform and the allocation of water licenses to historically disadvantaged persons must be reviewed with regards to water rights and should occur as part of the land reform programme. 101. Transformation plan for the forestry sector should be developed. 102. Increase the infrastructure construction timelines to allow more labour intensive construction. 103. Water resources management must be integral when planning municipalities.


 * N YOUTH DEVELOPMENT,**
 * 1) Immediate implementation of sports desks as per the previous conference resolution.
 * 2) A National Youth Development Agency that will ensure seamless integration, sustainability and responsiveness to the demands and aspirations of South Africa's youth is established through the merger of the National Youth Commission and Umsobomvu. This should be effected during the course of 2008.
 * 3) As per the ANC NGC's adoption of the Integrated Youth Development Strategy, that this be made government policy to be implemented by the National Youth Development Agency.
 * 4) Massify the National Youth Service Programme and that this must be adopted as government policy.
 * 5) The government should engage the private sector to contribute towards the National Youth Service Programme.
 * ON WOMEN ISSUES,**
 * 1) In considering the matter of establishing Women Ministry, the commission recommends that a thorough assessment be undertaken by the ANC to analyse current instruments and their relevance, strategies and areas of focus and programmes on matters of women and the impact these programmes made. These assessments should then advise on comprehensive recommendations on the form and content of whatever institutional mechanisms to be put in place in pursuit of women emancipation and broadly addressing gender matters.
 * MK VETERANS**
 * 1) All government departments must adopt programmes that are directed at reintegrating ex-combatants into society and provision of health insurance should also be addressed.

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