ANC+must+deal+with+leadership+rows,+IOL

IOL, Johannesburg, June 30 2005 at 07:35PM
=ANC 'must deal with leadership rows'=


 * By Mariette le Roux**

In-fighting for leadership positions emerged on Thursday as a major challenge for the African National Congress.

This was a problem at branch and provincial levels, according to an organisational report presented to the party's national general council meeting in Pretoria.

"In many of our branches, there are no sustainable political programmes and community campaigns," the document states.

"They are conflict-ridden and unstable and in many instances fraught with fights over leadership positions, selection and deployment of councillors, tendering and control of projects and recruitment of membership in order to serve factional or selfish interests."

In many cases, the reasons for division were not rooted in ideological differences, but in securing access to and control over public resources.

This resulted in a lack of coherent and consistent branch organisation, leaving branches unable to respond to the challenges of communities.

"This failure leads to the oft repeated perception that the 'ANC only comes at election time'," the report says.

Recent protests over municipal service delivery have exposed these shortcomings "in a most visible and worrying manner", it states.

"In most, if not all of these protests, it has been members of the ANC that have played a leading role in establishing parallel structures outside the movement, including in the form of 'concerned residents' groups."

On provincial leadership, the document expresses concern about some provincial conferences being marked by leadership contests that divide branches and provinces along factional lines.

Problems also arise when an appointed premier contests the party position of provincial chairperson, and loses.

"This can sometimes result in tensions," the report says.

There was, therefore, a need to clarify the relationship between ANC officials and those in the provincial executive. This had changed as a result of a decision to de-link the appointment of the premier from the election of the provincial chairperson.

"Since that decision was taken, we have observed continued contestation, which in the worst cases, has been described as resulting in 'two centres of power'."

Elections at conferences were an instrument for strengthening organisation, not dividing it, the report says.

"Elected leadership must guard against relating to members as though they were only elected by a section of the membership.

"It should be understood that once so elected, they have the responsibility to lead the entire membership of the ANC in the province." – Sapa


 * From: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=qw1120150261219B252