AFTER months of preparation, the ANC election manifesto is at the printers and is set to be unveiled at a rally in Mpumalanga on Saturday.
Since 1994, the theme “a better life for all” has been a common thread running through ANC manifestos, with each document prepared for successive elections attempting to hone in on what that means for South Africans.
This year’s election, in South Africa’s 20th year of democracy, is set to be the fiercest yet for the ruling party as frustration deepens over the slow pace of economic transformation, rising levels of poverty, inequality and unemployment, and perceptions of corruption and excess.
With a host of new political players to contend with and its traditional election muscle from ally Cosatu and the ANC Youth League both flagging, the coming poll is set to be a keen test for the party.
It is clear that the ANC’s fifth election manifesto has to buttress the party in the face of predictions of a poorer electoral showing this time around.
In 1994, the party hoped to “capture the moment”, that of the country’s first democratic election after decades of apartheid rule. It acknowledged that SA was in a “mess” and that “a clear plan” was needed to chart the way forward.
This detailed framework was contained in the Reconstruction and Development Programme.
The manifesto promised a “government of the people”, anchored in the country’s then yet to be adopted constitution.
It promised a new style of governance and a better quality of life for all South Africans – through jobs, growing the economy, worker rights, a just tax system, an end to rural poverty and land reform.
The first manifesto was crafted through “trial and error”, says ANC national executive committee member Pallo Jordan, who was involved in its drafting.
The idea of “people’s forums” was borrowed from US history.
It marked a “step up” from the usual opinion polls to assess what most South Africans required, although the vast challenges that needed to be tackled were easy to identify through unravelling apartheid’s legacy.
“From that, we could assess what people thought, what they hoped for and also the deficits in society,” Jordan says.
The people’s forums, where communities were consulted directly about their needs, were coupled with the “usual methods” such as opinion polls and focus groups. There was also intense debate over the main message of the first election manifesto.
“We tossed a lot of ideas around for the ANC campaign; the sense of the moment was very, very strong,” he says.
Through the people’s forums, the party obtained a better sense of the “aspirations of South Africans”.
“We felt that ‘better life for all’ was best – and that theme has continued because even as things improved, we wanted them to get better,” he says.
The ANC built structures in wards across the country. In later elections, these would contribute to its knowledge base in terms of assessing the needs of communities ahead of polls, says ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte.
Ahead of this year’s election, the ANC had embarked on an “extensive monitoring and evaluation process” to assess the standard of delivery and to talk to communities, Duarte says.
It launched its actual “people-centred” manifesto process last year. This was in the face of criticism – even from labour ally Cosatu – that it was losing touch with ordinary citizens. Duarte says the ANC has kept up the tradition of people’s forums and also held manifesto conferences, activist gatherings and meetings with individual sectors such as religious and traditional leaders.
The input from these gatherings was then aligned with existing party policy – resolutions from its national conferences.
“In a sense it’s a very deeply democratic process and obviously we cannot put everything in the manifesto.
“We also use focus groups – many, many focus groups,” she says.
The process started in July last year. “It’s a very long process. Frankly, it has to be like that.”
Manifestos have become more nuanced over the years.
“It is aspirational but also it has to be more detailed … an important factor about the ANC is that our ear hits the ground very hard and we do it over a period of time. It will also reflect the challenges,” Duarte says.
Jobs, health, education, eradicating crime and corruption, and rural development have all been key features of ANC manifestos since 1994. The 2014 manifesto President Jacob Zuma will launch on Saturday is unlikely to show a massive departure from these priorities.
Manifesto will carry weight of the ANC’s electoral hopes
Since 1994, the theme “a better life for all” has been a common thread running through ANC manifestos, with each document prepared for successive elections attempting to hone in on what that means for South Africans.
This year’s election, in South Africa’s 20th year of democracy, is set to be the fiercest yet for the ruling party as frustration deepens over the slow pace of economic transformation, rising levels of poverty, inequality and unemployment, and perceptions of corruption and excess.
With a host of new political players to contend with and its traditional election muscle from ally Cosatu and the ANC Youth League both flagging, the coming poll is set to be a keen test for the party.
It is clear that the ANC’s fifth election manifesto has to buttress the party in the face of predictions of a poorer electoral showing this time around.
In 1994, the party hoped to “capture the moment”, that of the country’s first democratic election after decades of apartheid rule. It acknowledged that SA was in a “mess” and that “a clear plan” was needed to chart the way forward.
This detailed framework was contained in the Reconstruction and Development Programme.
The manifesto promised a “government of the people”, anchored in the country’s then yet to be adopted constitution.
It promised a new style of governance and a better quality of life for all South Africans – through jobs, growing the economy, worker rights, a just tax system, an end to rural poverty and land reform.
The first manifesto was crafted through “trial and error”, says ANC national executive committee member Pallo Jordan, who was involved in its drafting.
The idea of “people’s forums” was borrowed from US history.
It marked a “step up” from the usual opinion polls to assess what most South Africans required, although the vast challenges that needed to be tackled were easy to identify through unravelling apartheid’s legacy.
“From that, we could assess what people thought, what they hoped for and also the deficits in society,” Jordan says.
The people’s forums, where communities were consulted directly about their needs, were coupled with the “usual methods” such as opinion polls and focus groups. There was also intense debate over the main message of the first election manifesto.
“We tossed a lot of ideas around for the ANC campaign; the sense of the moment was very, very strong,” he says.
Through the people’s forums, the party obtained a better sense of the “aspirations of South Africans”.
“We felt that ‘better life for all’ was best – and that theme has continued because even as things improved, we wanted them to get better,” he says.
The ANC built structures in wards across the country. In later elections, these would contribute to its knowledge base in terms of assessing the needs of communities ahead of polls, says ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte.
Ahead of this year’s election, the ANC had embarked on an “extensive monitoring and evaluation process” to assess the standard of delivery and to talk to communities, Duarte says.
It launched its actual “people-centred” manifesto process last year. This was in the face of criticism – even from labour ally Cosatu – that it was losing touch with ordinary citizens. Duarte says the ANC has kept up the tradition of people’s forums and also held manifesto conferences, activist gatherings and meetings with individual sectors such as religious and traditional leaders.
The input from these gatherings was then aligned with existing party policy – resolutions from its national conferences.
“In a sense it’s a very deeply democratic process and obviously we cannot put everything in the manifesto.
“We also use focus groups – many, many focus groups,” she says.
The process started in July last year. “It’s a very long process. Frankly, it has to be like that.”
Manifestos have become more nuanced over the years.
“It is aspirational but also it has to be more detailed … an important factor about the ANC is that our ear hits the ground very hard and we do it over a period of time. It will also reflect the challenges,” Duarte says.
Jobs, health, education, eradicating crime and corruption, and rural development have all been key features of ANC manifestos since 1994. The 2014 manifesto President Jacob Zuma will launch on Saturday is unlikely to show a massive departure from these priorities.
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