Comrades, one of the fundamental weaknesses of the government we lead in the City is the absence of cohesion and unity of the ANC. As leaders both in and outside government and in the coalition, we have allowed our subjective weaknesses to be exploited by elements that seek to contest and exploit the hegemony of the ANC. We are an ANC that is failing to speak as one, act as one, and lead as one. Our divisions, which mirror no ideological or policy inclinations are a hindrance to the progressive agenda of social transformation, economic recovery, and to the seductive thesis, we must present to the electorate in a few months’ time. In fact, regional organizational contradictions surface subliminally in government and coalition.
The difficult decisions we took to part with our erstwhile partners in the Patriotic Alliance (PA) and the subsequent court case they pursued which we successfully defended, are a testament to the need for us to exercise the most advanced, politically sound, and morally justifiable tactics at all times.
Our temporary expedience at times compromises the historic, present, and future standing of the ANC in the eyes of the public and electorate. As revolutionaries, we ought to distinguish ourselves in how to navigate complex political matters with an intention to affirm our policies, our commitment to principle and to achieve our strategic objectives.
Going into the next elections, it is within our reach to successfully garner enough support to give the ANC a mandate to govern the City. However, that can only be if we are united in pursuit of that objective, and such unity is expressed in our day-to-day actions and commitment.
As the Lekgotla proceeds, we should find time to have an in-depth discussion on the local balance of forces, the emerging threats, and our counter-strategies to secure the electoral victory we want.
Hence the Regional Working Committee agreed on a theme for this Lekgotla as “UNITY, RENEWAL, RECONSTRUCTION TOWARDS A DECISIVE VICTORY IN THE YEAR OF CHARLOTTE MAXEKE.”