The conference focused more on party issues than issues regarding the country Photo Twitter/ @MYANC
Johannesburg – The African National Congress hosted its sixth National Policy Conference at a time when the party is at its weakest. While there were many policies to talk about, the party addressed its step-aside policy the most.
There have been calls from the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo to have the policy changed or entirely removed. These calls go against what South Africans want. President Ramaphosa also issued a strong gesture of support for the policy which indicates he intends to keep it.
The step-aside policy
The step-aside policy was the main focus of the policy conference. While Ramaphosa stands behind it, he agreed the policy needs to be reformed and more consistent. Bishop Clyde Ramalaine, political analyst, agreed with Ramaphosa on this. The problem with the policy is it presents itself as user friendly for factional fights.
“The problem is the application of it. Some people are, in a sense castigated, while others get away. When you appear before the integrity commission you are not allowed to come there with legal representation. We know that the current president, not in this instance of his most recent appearance there, but in a previous setting appeared with legal representation. Where is the balance in that regard?”
The integrity commission
The step-aside policy is only as good as the integrity commission. Those who bring disrepute to the ANC have their case handed to the integrity commission. It is then up to to them to decide what happens. Ramalaine believes the ANC does not regard the integrity commission seriously.
“The ANC can’t take the integrity commission serious because so many people are implicated … At the end of the day if you want to follow through on the step-aside in an authentic, original, objective and just way, it means everybody who is implicated in an allegation should appear before the integrity commission and the process should unfold from there. However, there is a haste to deal with some people because it is a political game at the same time.”
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Step-aside discussed and every other policy left to the side
There are many burning issues in South Africa at the moment. From the cost of living continuing to rise, to the high crime rate. It seems as though every issue concerning the citizens was put to the side to focus on the internal, political issues of the ANC, said politcal analyst, Kim Heller.
“The internal issues around the so-called renewal, the so-called step-aside are more pressing than the hunger of the ordinary person. We see the bulk of time spent on issues that have got very little to do with ordinary South Africans. When those policies did touch, they are not policies that give immediate relief to people.”
The conference highlights the ANC’s inability to implement its own policies. Heller pointed out the policies from the 2019 conference have still not been implemented. For her, these conferences are all about promises that will eventually be broken and policies that won’t be implemented.
“None of those policies have come to the fore. One has to ask what the point of these policy conferences is because over the years the ANC has proved one thing consistently; it is unable to implement its very own policies.”
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The ANC have no viable policies to help unemployment
Unemployment is at an all-time high. There is now a sense of discouragement amongst the youth because they feel as if they will never find jobs. The problem is not that people aren’t looking for jobs, said Heller, it is that the ANC has not been able to do anything to create them.
“People are going out every morning looking for jobs. We don’t have a lazy population. We have a population who have given up hope of ever finding a job to look after their families. The fact that the government can’t create that and are looking for solutions elsewhere is symptomatic of political and policy fatigue. Perhaps poverty of ideas because the root of the problem is finding a vibrant and sustainable, prosperous environment for all. The ANC is nowhere close to that.”
Ramalaine believes Ramaphosa will still stand a chance of a second term unless he is charged for his crimes and forced to step-aside. The lack of ANC policies to help unemployment and their inability to implement anything is their biggest weakness. This could effectively see the dark days continuing as the ANC has no short-term solution to the current problems facing the country.
