ANC Speaker Cyril Ramaphosa speaks at the Lekgotla at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Boksburg, South Africa on August 4, 2024. (Photo by Per Anders Pettersson/Getty Images) Getty Images
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on ANC public figures to stop flaunting lavish lifestyles in the face of widespread poverty and stop grabbing headlines for the wrong reasons.
Speaking at the closing session of the party's three-day Lekgotla in Johannesburg, President Ramaphosa called on the party's civil servants and members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) to lead by example and put an end to conspicuous consumption.
“The renewal of the ANC must be reflected in our everyday actions, how we behave in public and what we post on social media,” he said.
“Let us be known for excellence and competence. National executive committee members, national representatives, ANC officials and executives must all see themselves as communicators.”
During past election cycles, ANC leaders have come under scrutiny for their lavish lifestyles, particularly their displays of wealth, expensive clothes and luxury cars in poor areas.
During the election campaign in May, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula drove a G63 Mercedes worth about R4 million to Inanda, KwaZulu-Natal, where most of the residents live in extreme poverty, on a door-to-door campaign.
“If we are divided, if we tolerate corruption and nepotism, if we live in the luxury of pretending to be superior to our people and only care about ourselves, then even the best communications strategies will not improve our standing among our people,” President Ramaphosa said this week.
He said the Lekgotra reaffirmed the developmental importance of a professionalised civil service with strong mechanisms for capacity building, including regular training for civil servants.
President Ramaphosa said the NEC had agreed to implement performance management for the civil service to strengthen accountability.
He further said the party should not limit its understanding of an effective state to the executive as parliament and legislature are essential for a state to be efficient and accountable.
“As a movement, we need to pay equal attention to the work of parliament and the legislature, staff these institutions with competent and committed people and ensure they have the resources and capacity to further the electoral mandate of our movement,” Ramaphosa said.
As part of this, there will be a greater focus on improving local government in the future.
The ANC blames failure of governance in major towns such as Johannesburg, eThekwini and Buffalo City for the party's poor electoral performance in national and provincial elections on May 29. The party said attention needed to be paid to local governance as municipalities are crucial in providing infrastructure and basic services to the people.
To address this, the ANC has set up a special task team to address local government service delivery issues, led by Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Thau, who was Deputy Minister for Cooperative Governance and Mayor of Johannesburg from 2011 to 2016.
President Ramaphosa said his party's analysis showed the ANC had suffered its biggest drop in vote share in metropolitan areas.
“The insecurity, dysfunction and poor performance of major cities such as Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, eThekwini and Buffalo City are clearly reflected in the election results,” he said.
“Therefore, decisive intervention in these big cities is necessary, not just for the sake of the ANC's electoral prospects but also to generate inclusive growth and ensure job creation and poverty reduction.”
President Ramaphosa also noted that the ANC's ally, the South African Communist Party (SACP), is concerned about forming a government of national unity (GNU) with the Democratic Alliance (DA).
SACP secretary-general Solly Mapaila accused the ANC of betraying them by working with the DA in a government of national unity rather than working with the separatist Umkhonto we'Sizwe (MK) party and the Economic Freedom Fighters.
President Ramaphosa said the ANC would continue to consult with its allies about the GNU and welcomed the South African Communist Party's “critical but non-oppositional” stance against the tactical move.
He said the party sees a unity government as the best tactical option but is “fully aware” of the risks and potential threats of working with ideological enemies.
“We are aware that the South African Communist Party has issued a statement to mark its 103rd anniversary in which it takes a 'critical but non-oppositional stance' towards the GNU. We welcome this,” President Ramaphosa said.
“We agree with the SACP statement: ‘We must ensure participation. [in the GNU] It does not undermine our core principles and goals, but serves as a platform to defend and advance the interests of the working class.”
He said the alliance, which includes trade union federation Cosatu, needed to discuss how to address all the pressing political, strategic, tactical and organisational issues, adding that the alliance would be able to emerge stronger from the current strategic setbacks if alliance members came together and worked together as comrades who did not personalise political issues.
Speaking alongside Lekgotla, ANC political school head David Makhura said the loss of the majority in the May 29 general election was a strategic setback, adding that the need to refresh the party had now become a “life or death” priority.
He said the unity government formed by President Ramaphosa after the party's approval rating fell below 50% on May 29 was the party's best option to stay in power and ensure it delivered on its manifesto.
The electoral defeat also meant the ANC had to press ahead with its renewal plans, Makufula told a news conference. “If we don't renew we will disappear.”
The party has faced criticism for failing to take firm action against some of its members allegedly involved in corruption.
“When a party loses significant electoral support it has to back down. It doesn't have the luxury of doing so,” Makufula warned. “Before, we talked about reform, but not anymore. Then it was about moral, ethical and political necessity. Now it's driven by the need to keep the movement alive.”
Despite opponents of the National Health Insurance (NHI) being involved within the government, the ANC and government plan to go ahead with its implementation.
President Ramaphosa said his government would invest in health infrastructure and training of health workers to improve the quality of care in both the public and private health sectors.
“It is essential that we take up this work to help South Africans live longer and healthier lives, which will enable them to be more productive and lift themselves out of poverty,” he said.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, speaking at a briefing on the sidelines of Lekgotla, said it was not clear when the NHI would be fully implemented as it was a process and not a single event.
“It may take around 15 years to get there because we are still in the implementation stage. Even countries around the world that started a long time ago are still implementing parts of it,” Motsoaledi said.
He said the president has already signed the law and the NHI is in its first phase, but regulations for implementation are still being developed.
Motsoaledi said those criticising the NHI were “accessing medical assistance” and that those who stood to benefit from it were not being given a public say.
“Those who have been speaking out about the Bill are those who are benefiting from an oppressive system. The truly poor who stand to benefit have not been speaking out,” the health minister said, adding that the ministry would hold roadshows to explain the NHS to people and “popularise” it among potential beneficiaries.
“No one is making their voice heard. I go out to give them a voice. I have met many people who say: 'Please come, I want to know more about the NHI,'” Motsoaledi said.