ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula said the party’s internal diagnostic report had led the special national executive committee (NEC) meeting at the weekend to interrogate the May 29 national and provincial election results.
He said the NEC reflected on whether this was a judgement on the party’s success in fulfilling its mandate for a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, equal, and prosperous society.
The party lost its majority in a historic election result that put the country on a new political path for the first time since the end of the apartheid system 30 years ago.
The result led to the formation of the Government of National Unity and for the first time since 1994, ANC ministers did not dominate all ministerial positions.
Mbalula on Tuesday was reflecting on the outcomes of the special NEC meeting which took place at the weekend in Boksburg, Gauteng.
“This draft report, presented to the NEC, remains a work in progress and will be enriched through visits to various provinces and engagements with regions and branches by the Secretary-General and a team led by the Organising Department.
“The final report is slated for presentation to the National General Council in 2025,” Mbalula said.
He said the 30-Year Review Report ‘highlights an unparalleled record of transformation in any post-colonial society’.
“However, many of our people did not turn out to vote for the ANC, to the extent that it can no longer form a government independently.
“The Special NEC engaged in extensive discussions on the potential drivers behind this electoral outcome.”
Mbalula said from the perspective of individual membership and leadership, the diagnostic exercise addressed the extent to which the party had projected or failed to project the aspirations of the masses.
“It acknowledged the importance of ethical conduct, as reflected in the establishment of the Integrity Commission, tasked with upholding ethical standards among members and leaders of the movement.
“This commitment to integrity directly impacts perceptions of whether the organisation genuinely represents the aspirations of our people,” Mbalula said.
He said the diagnostic exercise will include visits to all structures across the country, focusing not only on individual integrity, but also on the integrity of the branches and regions.
The Mercury