Mbeki+cant+run+ANC+like+a+company+CEO,+IOL



='Mbeki can't run ANC like a company CEO'=

IOL, ex Daily News, July 05 2005 at 05:21PM
Ordinary members of the African National Congress (ANC) have shown President Thabo Mbeki that he cannot run the party like the boss of a private company.

This is how members see the about-turn in policies brought about by the revolt of the rank and file activists at the national general council meeting at the weekend.

Among other important decisions the members shot down a proposal that would interfere with their democratic right to directly elect party leaders without any meddling from above.

Another major victory for delegates was the rejection of proposed labour reforms which would have seen radical changes, including a dual wage system aimed at reducing the levels of unemployment.

But the real milestone in changing party behaviour was the council's decision to restore Jacob Zuma to his position as deputy president of the party.

Themba Mthembu, KwaZulu-Natal South African Communist Party (SACP) provincial secretary-general, said "the general council put the character of the movement to the test and it passed with flying colours. The ANC now has to respect what people are saying."

With KwaZulu-Natal leading the "defiance" campaign, seven out of nine provinces decided that Zuma should be given his duties back.

KwaZulu-Natal Cosatu general secretary Zet Luzipho said the trade union federation, which is also one of Zuma's vociferous supporters, was also happy that Zuma had been reinstated.

Luzipho said the federation was also delighted that the proposal for a dual labour market in the country had been torpedoed by ANC branches.

Sources within the ANC in the province said the decisions which were taken at the conference, which reviews ANC policy positions in between national conferences, had shown that Mbeki was no longer in total control of the party.

"It showed that you cannot run an organisation like the ANC, which is a people's movement, like a CEO."

"Under Mbeki's administration, branches are no longer the basis unit or incubators of policies. They have very little role in policy formation."


 * From: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20050705085153680C507495