ANC Veterans League proposes new party leadership election model: Voting by all members
ANC members at the party's national general council meeting in Boksburg this week.
Image: Itumeleng English / Independent Newspapers
The ANC Veterans League is proposing new strategies to elect the party’s leadership in an effort to ensure that suitable leaders are chosen.
However, members are sceptical about proposals suggesting that the party’s rank and file should elect the senior leadership instead of party delegates. One member said such a proposal has not been discussed in his branch, and another said the move would not be a panacea for the party’s leadership squabbles.
ANC leaders are calling for radical changes in the organisation to improve ethical leadership, governance, and accountability. Among the changes being proposed is modernising how the party leaders are elected. This change could allow all general members to vote for a leader instead of just party delegates.
ANC leaders in KwaZulu-Natal said this would not be a simple matter, adding that it has its positives and negatives.
Member Febe Potgieter-Gqubule discussed the practical changes being proposed by members as the party commenced its National General Council (NGC) this week to assess the state of the party, the work it has done, and what more needs to be done. She also spoke about ethical governance and ensuring that ANC members are active in their communities.
She said that the Veterans League has proposed changes in how the ANC elects its leaders.
“What makes this NGC different is that we have had widespread discussion among the ANC structures, and they have come up with a lot of concrete recommendations. For example, because we say we must raise the bar of leadership, the Veterans League said instead of having delegates elect the National Executive Committee (NEC), we should have direct elections. Every ANC member should have the right to vote for an ANC leader and the NEC. Those practical things are part of that shift that we are beginning to see. This NGC shows a tipping point in terms of organisational renewal,” she said.
A senior KZN ANC leader said they had complained about majoritarianism in the party, where a leader is elected not because they are suitable or capable, but because they gather many supporters.
“This view first emerged as a response to the dominance by KwaZulu-Natal. Today, the KwaZulu-Natal structure should have dominated at the NGC as it has close to 900 branches, but this is not happening because the branches are not in good standing.”
“Regarding the direct election of leaders, it would be fair to state that it has its positives. For instance, we went to an ANC elective conference believing we would succeed; we thought Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma would emerge, but the result showed us something different. It later emerged that there were monies that had been paid to delegates at the conference.”
“So this proposal has its merit. Its only downside is that members who will be voting will still only know the candidates coming from the big provinces that they can vote for. Members who are capable but come from a small province will still be left out because they are unknown, despite being capable individuals,” said the leader.
An ANC member, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the NEC has close to 80 members and that it would be impossible to coordinate the voting process for such a large number of leaders.
“This has not even been discussed in our branch meeting. The fact of the matter is that where leadership is elected, there is lobbying among members. How will you coordinate all that? We have neither the capacity nor the resources to implement such a proposal,” he concluded.