2017 is the year for revitalising and rejuvenating the ANC. Not only is this year the centenary of the birth of one of the greatest sons of Africa, OR Tambo, but the national executive committee of our beloved movement is now beginning to confront the reality that it needs serious and fundamental renewal if it is to continue to enjoy the support of the masses liberated from colonialism and apartheid.
Members of the ANC will soon be participating in policy and elective conferences. It is therefore time to soberly reflect on the calibre of leadership we need in the NEC.
The ANC is the most important vehicle for transformation and change in South Africa. There is no doubt that the local government elections last year were a setback for the movement. That should serve as a continually loud wakeup call to all patriots.
Patrimony, nepotism, corruption, slates and cabals have no place in the oldest liberation movement in Africa.
But getting the ANC back on track does not only depend on developing the right policies and strategies. It also requires that we elect leaders into the NEC who can recapture and harness the spirit and values that made the ANC great.
Above all, we need leaders who are critical thinkers able to grapple with the political challenges of development, transformation, social cohesion, social justice and economic growth.
And we need people who have a track record of hard work in service of the movement, who understand the workings of government, and display the highest moral and ethical integrity.
Lastly, and apart from proven ability and unblemished character, we need people who have not lost touch with the masses from whom they have emerged.
These are the types of people we need to recall to the top leadership positions in this time of renewal.
And there are many tried and tested leaders – including from our own province – who have the right mix of political acumen, experience and qualifications.
But many of them are languishing on the periphery.
It is often (and correctly) said that the Eastern Cape is the home of legends. It cannot be denied that other places have supplied a good cadre of leadership, but in many respects the Eastern Cape has played a unique role in making the ANC great.
Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki, Walter Sisulu, Raymond Mhlaba, Robert Sobukhwe, Chris Hani and Arnold Stofile are just a few of the names that spring to mind.
What is often not mentioned however, is the names of the protégés who were developed by such leaders.
The legendary leaders mentioned above were resolute in working with youth leaders thus making a good intergenerational mix. This ensured continuity and passed on of the values that shaped the liberation struggle.
What this cadre of young protégès contributed in the Eastern Cape was tireless energy in ensuring the movement remained in touch with the historically marginalised rural and urban masses.
When the liberation movements were still banned and its leaders were incarcerated or in exile, formations such as South African Youth Congress (Sayco), which earned the name “Roaring Young Lions”, took up the leadership challenge with greatest zeal and commitment and at huge risk to their lives.
I have personal experience of witnessing this generation of leaders in action in the Umtata Youth Congress, with cadres such as Mvula Mthimkhulu, Baso Sangqu (the South African ambassador to Brussels) and Sonwabile Mancotywa, now CEO of the National Heritage Foundation.
As a long-standing ANC activist from the former Transkei region I have, over the years, watched many of these comrades grow and mature within the movement.
Others recognised their abilities too. When the Eastern Cape Premier Oom Ray Mhlaba, appointed Mancotywa as MEC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, he was the youngest person to be appointed as an MEC up to that time.
He went on to become the founding CEO of the National Heritage Council and was based in Pretoria.
When redeployed by the movement he accepted his new assignment with the discipline one expects from comrades grounded in the values and principles of the movement.
Now, even after so many years of working outside the province, his name still resonates among ordinary people on the streets in the Eastern Cape.
This is no surprise because his roots run deep in the area. From his early days as a student leader in Sansco at the then Unitra and part of the Umtata Youth Congress at the time, he grew into a number of leadership positions in the Transkei region.
And after graduating he applied himself with passion at Umtata Legal Advice Centre to make law accessible to ordinary citizens.
He was also actively involved in the transition to democracy and played an important role in the integration of the leadership from exile. He was consistently elected to office in the ANC Youth League and the ANC.
From the National Heritage Council he has continue to produce many opinion pieces and articles on issues of development, nation-building, social cohesion, transformation and culture.
These not only display intellectual agility and an ability to grasp the deeper challenges facing our society, but he has not been afraid to respectfully critique positions and policies that do not further the transformation of our society. That was evident in his piece on OR Tambo in this newspaper last week where he recalled OR’s memory to prick our consciences.
That is precisely the sort of leadership we need within the NEC of the ANC.
I think also of the likes of Lindiwe Msengana who hails from Cala and was the former city manager of Port Elizabeth – he is a strong and efficient professional who has held a number of important positions in the public service including as director-general of the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
Msengana is now special adviser to Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor.
There is also Xolani Malamlela the current secretary of the National Health Education and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu). He was a former convict for his political activities in Transkei in the 80s and a founder member of the then Transkei Democratic Civil Servants organisation.
Then there is Pumzile Mayaphi, a former MK commander, who was on death row after being sentenced by the Supreme Court of Transkei for his political activities. He went on to be admitted as advocate of the Supreme Court. He is now a senior civil servant in Bhisho
If we are to genuinely renew and strengthen the movement in 2017 we cannot continue to overlook such talent for top leadership positions.
It is high time that we free ourselves of collective amnesia and recall our talent from the periphery to play a meaningful role in the current politics of our beautiful country.
Professor Mncedisi Jordan is a former professor of accounting at the University of Fort Hare and Walter Sisulu University. He is a researcher in indigenous cultures. He is also a longstanding member of the ANC
Time to recall tried and tested comrades
Members of the ANC will soon be participating in policy and elective conferences. It is therefore time to soberly reflect on the calibre of leadership we need in the NEC.
The ANC is the most important vehicle for transformation and change in South Africa. There is no doubt that the local government elections last year were a setback for the movement. That should serve as a continually loud wakeup call to all patriots.
Patrimony, nepotism, corruption, slates and cabals have no place in the oldest liberation movement in Africa.
But getting the ANC back on track does not only depend on developing the right policies and strategies. It also requires that we elect leaders into the NEC who can recapture and harness the spirit and values that made the ANC great.
Above all, we need leaders who are critical thinkers able to grapple with the political challenges of development, transformation, social cohesion, social justice and economic growth.
And we need people who have a track record of hard work in service of the movement, who understand the workings of government, and display the highest moral and ethical integrity.
Lastly, and apart from proven ability and unblemished character, we need people who have not lost touch with the masses from whom they have emerged.
These are the types of people we need to recall to the top leadership positions in this time of renewal.
And there are many tried and tested leaders – including from our own province – who have the right mix of political acumen, experience and qualifications.
But many of them are languishing on the periphery.
It is often (and correctly) said that the Eastern Cape is the home of legends. It cannot be denied that other places have supplied a good cadre of leadership, but in many respects the Eastern Cape has played a unique role in making the ANC great.
Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki, Walter Sisulu, Raymond Mhlaba, Robert Sobukhwe, Chris Hani and Arnold Stofile are just a few of the names that spring to mind.
What is often not mentioned however, is the names of the protégés who were developed by such leaders.
The legendary leaders mentioned above were resolute in working with youth leaders thus making a good intergenerational mix. This ensured continuity and passed on of the values that shaped the liberation struggle.
What this cadre of young protégès contributed in the Eastern Cape was tireless energy in ensuring the movement remained in touch with the historically marginalised rural and urban masses.
When the liberation movements were still banned and its leaders were incarcerated or in exile, formations such as South African Youth Congress (Sayco), which earned the name “Roaring Young Lions”, took up the leadership challenge with greatest zeal and commitment and at huge risk to their lives.
I have personal experience of witnessing this generation of leaders in action in the Umtata Youth Congress, with cadres such as Mvula Mthimkhulu, Baso Sangqu (the South African ambassador to Brussels) and Sonwabile Mancotywa, now CEO of the National Heritage Foundation.
As a long-standing ANC activist from the former Transkei region I have, over the years, watched many of these comrades grow and mature within the movement.
Others recognised their abilities too. When the Eastern Cape Premier Oom Ray Mhlaba, appointed Mancotywa as MEC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, he was the youngest person to be appointed as an MEC up to that time.
He went on to become the founding CEO of the National Heritage Council and was based in Pretoria.
When redeployed by the movement he accepted his new assignment with the discipline one expects from comrades grounded in the values and principles of the movement.
Now, even after so many years of working outside the province, his name still resonates among ordinary people on the streets in the Eastern Cape.
This is no surprise because his roots run deep in the area. From his early days as a student leader in Sansco at the then Unitra and part of the Umtata Youth Congress at the time, he grew into a number of leadership positions in the Transkei region.
And after graduating he applied himself with passion at Umtata Legal Advice Centre to make law accessible to ordinary citizens.
He was also actively involved in the transition to democracy and played an important role in the integration of the leadership from exile. He was consistently elected to office in the ANC Youth League and the ANC.
From the National Heritage Council he has continue to produce many opinion pieces and articles on issues of development, nation-building, social cohesion, transformation and culture.
These not only display intellectual agility and an ability to grasp the deeper challenges facing our society, but he has not been afraid to respectfully critique positions and policies that do not further the transformation of our society. That was evident in his piece on OR Tambo in this newspaper last week where he recalled OR’s memory to prick our consciences.
That is precisely the sort of leadership we need within the NEC of the ANC.
I think also of the likes of Lindiwe Msengana who hails from Cala and was the former city manager of Port Elizabeth – he is a strong and efficient professional who has held a number of important positions in the public service including as director-general of the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
Msengana is now special adviser to Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor.
There is also Xolani Malamlela the current secretary of the National Health Education and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu). He was a former convict for his political activities in Transkei in the 80s and a founder member of the then Transkei Democratic Civil Servants organisation.
Then there is Pumzile Mayaphi, a former MK commander, who was on death row after being sentenced by the Supreme Court of Transkei for his political activities. He went on to be admitted as advocate of the Supreme Court. He is now a senior civil servant in Bhisho
If we are to genuinely renew and strengthen the movement in 2017 we cannot continue to overlook such talent for top leadership positions.
It is high time that we free ourselves of collective amnesia and recall our talent from the periphery to play a meaningful role in the current politics of our beautiful country.
Professor Mncedisi Jordan is a former professor of accounting at the University of Fort Hare and Walter Sisulu University. He is a researcher in indigenous cultures. He is also a longstanding member of the ANC
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