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Joel Netshitenzhe said the ANC should elect leaders who come from the best in the community, who have good ethics and are academically qualified. (Photo: Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection) Photo: Joel Netshitenzhe (Photo from Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection)
Aspiring ANC councilors who are subject to judicial or disciplinary proceedings could run for local government elections if approved by the appropriate committee, in accordance with the party’s preliminary guidelines for candidate selection. These also stipulate what is expected of ANC councilors when the party is in opposition.
With the local government elections approximately one year away, the ANC is circulating its final draft of the rules for the selection of local government candidates for discussion by members. The 17-page document proposes selection criteria that would see only those who possess the qualities described in the party’s 2001 document titled “Through the Eye of a Needle” – leaders who are ethical, ideological and qualified – capable of standing in the ANC ballot.
The guidelines reflect the need for the ANC to become increasingly competitive, as its majority leadership has been declining in each election since 2004. For the first time, the party will announce all of its mayoral candidates before the elections, as they have done. the DA and the EFF. doing. The ANC also now stipulates how it would like its councilors to behave in places where the party is in opposition.
In previous years, the ANC’s selection of lists and especially of neighborhood candidates for local government elections has led to violence – and deaths – in neighborhoods where the party has split, in some cases so much so that there are parallel branches. The document appears to attempt to address this, as well as declining support for the party in some areas, which saw it lose control of the Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela metropolitan areas in 2016.
ANC veteran Joel Netshitenzhe warned in a webinar hosted by Andrew Mlangeni’s Gauteng branch on Sunday that the outcome of next year’s elections, as well as the subsequent national elections in 2024, “will not be a Sunday school picnic.” , compared to 2016, if the party does not “renew the organizational integrity and legitimacy of the ANC in the eyes of the people.”
He said the party must elect leaders who come from the best in the community, who have good ethics and are academically qualified. “When you raise the issue of dealing with corruption, it is not because we are against any individual,” he said. He added that the party’s Casa Luthuli headquarters must use clear communication to deal with those within who call themselves the RET forces, but who use the slogan of “radical economic transformation” in an effort to defend themselves from criminal prosecution. for corruption.
According to the draft document of the ANC, the selection of candidates for the elections will also involve a selection exercise that disqualifies those who have been found guilty of “any crime that calls into question their suitability to represent the ANC.” This could have been through an ANC disciplinary process, or in a disciplinary hearing in government or any other workplace, or in a court of law. But there is an exception.
“If a candidate is involved in one of the previous legal processes where a result has not yet been reached, for crimes related to violence, corruption or matters that may discredit the ANC, the Provincial List Committee must consider all the facts and interview candidate ”, says the document. They would then have to be “carefully scrutinized” and all the facts should be presented transparently and carefully considered by the committee. Those excluded by these processes have the right to appeal to the national list committee or the party’s electoral committee, and any other ANC structure will also have the right to appeal against the inclusion of any candidate they do not consider appropriate.
The party also describes what it expects from councilors who are in office in local governments where the ANC is in opposition. The document affirms that the ANC “respects the democratic results of the elections” and will not seek to sabotage the government’s work “at the expense of the people.”
The candidate selection process foresees an “open community vote”, using ballots, after a community meeting in which candidates must answer the same four questions (about what they consider urgent issues and why people should vote for them) as well as three questions. from the floor. The guidelines also describe the safe practices of Covid-19 during this process, which, according to the established deadlines, is expected to take place in March.
In councils where the ANC is in opposition, he hopes his councilors will push for it to be spent on handover in ANC districts and claim that handover as a victory where the party triumphs. They should “play the role of a constructive opposition” by supporting programs and budgets that reflect ANC policies and “propose constructive alternatives to those that do not.”
They must also do their supervisory work and focus on service delivery, “not the puny political score.” Community meetings and neighborhood committees to ensure the municipality delivers are in order, but councilors must “avoid resorting to destructive protests that could result in the destruction of municipal property” or conflicts with the police.
ANC councilors must also ensure that they prepare well for council discussions and debates and “abide by all government rules, regulations and council resolutions that apply to their work and conduct.” They must “do everything with honesty and integrity, not violate laws and not tolerate corruption, and promote the unity of the organization at all times.”
According to the document, candidates for mayor will now be announced before the elections. In 2016, only the ANC’s metropolitan and district mayoral candidates were announced before the elections. The party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) is tasked with adopting clear criteria for mayoral candidates.
“Selection and approval should occur in the extended NEC [meeting] well before the elections so that mayoral candidates can profile themselves and make themselves known to voters to build trust, ”says the draft guidelines. Previously, the party left until after the results announcement to project an image of all its equally capable and humble candidates, but also in an effort to keep party infighting to a minimum.
The candidate selection process foresees an “open community vote”, using ballots, after a community meeting in which candidates must answer the same four questions (on what they consider urgent issues and why people should vote for them) as well as three questions. from the floor. The guidelines also describe the safe practices of Covid-19 during this process, which, according to the established deadlines, is expected to take place in March.
Candidates can campaign a week before the community vote, but “to make sure money plays no role, candidates and their supporters cannot produce T-shirts, media, brand names of any object, banners, brochures or posters. ” They are also not allowed to spend money or accept donations, “with the exception of paying for meeting places.” Those who break these rules could be expelled from the party.
All candidates will be interviewed and examined by special committees created by the party for this purpose, and there are quotas for women (50%), under-35s (25%), and people with experience in government (60%).
According to the guidelines, “consideration should be given to selecting candidates capable of gaining support in areas where the ANC does not have majority support”, and those who are “popular in the communities” and who are “recognized as local leaders” should be wanted, even if they do not hold an elected position in the ANC. The draft document also warns against “inactive / non-existent organizations” that only appear around nominations and election time. DM
