ANC Today ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Vol 9 No 46, 20 - 26 November 2009 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- INSIDE THIS ISSUE ---------------------------------------------------------------------- VIEWPOINT BY KGALEMA MOTLANTHE Be proud to be a caring man If all of us men in South Africa could begin to live out this positive message of being proud of our manhood, defined by values of equality, we could indeed make this a better world. >>> More VIEWPOINT BY NATHI MTHETHWA Along came ageism When a certain strand of thought has reached the limit of its progressive content, sensing its own demise it presents its own imminent extinction as that of the whole of society. >>> More ALLIANCE SUMMIT Consolidating and advancing the democratic gains In the past five years the areas with the greatest number of violent crimes are those that are poor and economically depressed. They account for more than 50% of violent crime in South Africa and are interlinked and attributable to irresponsible consumption of alcohol and abuse of drugs and substances. >>> More ---------------------------------------------------------------------- WEEK IN REVIEW ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ANC shows growing strength in municipal by-elections The ANC retained seven wards and won three new wards in the municipal by- elections that were contested in 14 wards in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Western Cape and Gauteng. President Zuma makes a surprise visit to Thembisa President Jacob Zuma made a surprise visit to the community of Madelakufa informal settlement in Thembisa to assess the plight of living conditions in the area. Zuma went into some shacks to see how people in that area lived. He also listened to complaints about crime, unclean drinking water, electricity and unhealthy living conditions. Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe completes visit to Italy Motlanthe concluded his visit to Rome where he was participating at the World Food Summit. He expressed satisfaction that the summit adopted a declaration that serves as a basis for addressing the challenge of hunger faced by a billion people worldwide. He reminded the gathering that the past decade witnessed an unprecedented increase in a number of food security and agriculture summits where commitments were made even as recent as the May 2008 Summit which happened against the backdrop of food, finance and fuel crises. "This is the essence of the urgent task facing this summit! And to equal this task we need strong accountability, follow-up mechanisms, monitoring, evaluation and matching funding to implement our decisions. The world cannot afford another summit in the face of increasing number of hungry people; let this summit help end hunger", the Deputy President said. President Jacob Zuma meets artists and cultural workers Zuma met with around 500 representatives of the South African cultural industry. The meeting provided an opportunity for government leaders to give feedback on the interactions in November 2008 and April 2009, where artists and cultural workers raised issues of concern with the President. He was joined by a number of ministers from relevant departments. "The cultural industry sector is a very important partner in our drive to build a social and cultural identity for our nation," President Zuma said. He encouraged artists to unite to advance their interests. "For our young democracy to continue to grow, our artists must play their constructive critical role in informing society and invoking debate through their beautiful works. The cultural industry must prove, just like sports that it can be a sustainable form of making a living," President Zuma said. Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe concludes his working visit to Nigeria Motlanthe concluded his working visit to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where he attended the 10th Anniversary Celebrations of the South Africa-Nigeria Bi- national Commission (BNC), which he co-chairs with the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr Goodluck Jonathan. Upon arrival Deputy President and his delegation attended the opening of a business roundtable session which included business communities from South Africa and Nigeria. He delivered a keynote address and emphasised that business relationship between South Africa and Nigeria is full of opportunities as witnessed by the success recorded by South African companies doing business in Nigeria. ANC mourns death of a dedicated cadre The African National Congress is shocked by the death of Free State ANC spokesperson Comrade Teboho Sikisi who passed away in car crash in the province. The tragic death has robbed the ANC of one of its dedicated and committed cadres who also served as provincial government spokesperson and member of the Free State Provincial Executive Committee (PEC). He dedicated most of his life in a fight for a democratic, non-racial and non-sexist society in South Africa. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- STATEMENTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ANC pleased with winning three wards in Kwazulu-Natal, 19 November 2009 http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?doc=ancdocs/pr/2009/pr1119.html ANC Progressive Business Forum Trade Delegation back from Guangzhou, 17 November 2009 http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?doc=ancdocs/pr/2009/pr1117a.html ANC condemns violent disruption of the Lusikisiki meeting, 17 November 2009 http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?doc=ancdocs/pr/2009/pr1117.html Statement on the Alliance Summit, 15 November 2009 http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?doc=ancdocs/pr/2009/pr1115a.html ANC mourns death of Comrade Teboho Sikisi, 15 November 2009 http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?doc=ancdocs/pr/2009/pr1115.html ---------------------------------------------------------------------- SPEECHES ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Address by Deputy President, Kgalema Motlanthe, during International Men's Day, 19 November 2009 http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/show.asp?include=deputy/sp/2009/sp11191640 .htm&ID=2032&type=sp Speech by ANC Treasurer General Mathews Phosa during a Tourism and Trade Seminar in China, 17 November 2009 http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?doc=ancdocs/speeches/2009/sp1117c.html Address by President Jacob Zuma to the Report Back meeting with performing artists/cultural industry sector, 17 November 2009 http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?doc=ancdocs/speeches/2009/sp1117.html Address by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe to World Summit on Food Security, 16 November 2009 http://www.anc.org.za/show.php?doc=ancdocs/speeches/2009/sp1116.html Address by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe during a Business Roundtable at the South Africa-Nigeria BNC Celebrations, 14 November 2009 http://www.thepresidency.gov.za/show.asp?include=deputy/sp/2009/sp1114198 .htm&ID=2029&type=sp ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ARTICLES ---------------------------------------------------------------------- VIEWPOINT BY KGALEMA MOTLANTHE Be proud to be a caring man The International Men's Day is the day on which all men should rethink their role in society in terms of building peace, building bridges of understanding in their families and communities, and in reaffirming the values of botho/ubuntu which lie at the foundation of our society. On this day we should encourage men to stand up to be counted in the fight against abuse of women and children, plus in fighting poverty and all other social ills. At the same time we must live our daily lives as if each day is an international men's day, taking care to embrace the most vulnerable members of our families so that we instil values of gender equality in each step we take. From whatever angle one looks at it, the International Men's Day is a defining day that arouses our collective awareness about the important roles women and girl-children play in nurturing and providing for our families and in society at large. We can only build a stable and peaceful society if there is stability and progress in our homes, at school, in religious institutions and in other areas where we gather together. The theme of this year's event was 'proud to be caring men'. Indeed, if all of us were proud to be caring men, so much in our communities could change for the better. Our attitude towards our wives, our girlfriends, our mothers, our grand-mothers, our sisters and families in general could be one of respect and appreciation. If all of us men in South Africa could begin to live out this positive message of being proud of our manhood, defined by values of equality, we could indeed make this a better world. All of us in South Africa will be the first to appreciate the importance of being proud to care given our history of gender violence and oppression at work, in our homes and in many other social settings. In a few days from now the government will kick-start the 16 Days of No Violence against Women and Children. The International Men's Day is important as it also doubles as a build-up towards this government initiative where we make all citizens aware of the benefits in promoting and practising love and care for women and girl-children. Since the inception of the political freedom in 1994, government have expressly committed itself to creating a society free of all forms of discrimination, violence, fear, abuse and oppression. In 1999 we formally joined the global campaign of the 16 Days of Activism to eliminate gender-based violence. The 16 Days of Activism campaign is a United Nations-endorsed initiative and therefore a global campaign that seeks to raise global consciousness on the epidemic of gender and child violence besetting society. What essentially defines being a proudly caring man is a culture of being cultured in our outlook, especially to the vulnerable groups in our communities. The message we seek to communicate is simple: real men do not abuse women; real men do not mistreat their children. All of us need to be aware that as long as we mete out violence to women, we cannot proudly lay claim to manhood. Moreover, real men don't remain silent when they see abuse and social crimes being committed. Real men don't remain silent when other men use sexual violence to assert their authority. We therefore hope that this day will combine meaningfully the messages communicated during the 16 Days of No Violence Against Women and Children - the better to strengthen our collective message about the need to play our expected roles as men, as fathers, as brothers and as caregivers and protectors. Closely related to our role of upholding peace, stability and values as men is the challenge of dealing with HIV and Aids. Over the years we have come to identify the conditions that allow this dreaded disease to flourish. Among others, unprotected sex is the most critical cause in spreading HIV and Aids. In some cases men use their power, especially financial resources, to control sexual relations with women, such as demanding to have sex without a condom. Such conditions of gender disempowerment contribute to the growth of the Aids pandemic. Once again we call upon men of all classes and races to join the fight against HIV and Aids, occupying the front trenches in this war through their social conduct. When good men don't stand up to be counted HIV and AIDS spreads. When good men are silent when other men brag about committing sexual violence against their partners, HIV and AIDS spreads. Real men speak up and condemn abuse and mistreatment of women and girl-children. There can never be any excuse for remaining silent! As part of the war on Aids the ANC-led Alliance has come up with a campaign called 'Campaign For Health Care Fore All'. Among others, this ANC-led Alliance campaign has the following as its objectives: * to mobilise our people around HIV and AIDS, STIs and TB prevention; * to intensify efforts to create an environment that promotes positive individual behaviour to HIV and AIDS; * to promote responsible sexual behaviour, encourage regular voluntary resting and counselling; * to keep our people informed about their rights and responsibilities regarding their health, including the services available to them. To ensure that the above objectives are met, the following activities are among others, identified: * popular mobilisation during a National Testing Week culminating into a National Day of Action during the World Aids Day; and * community mobilisation in particular health campaigns, including the Healthy Lifestyle Campaign; the anti-alcohol and drug abuse campaign, TB and HIV prevention campaign; the immunisation campaign, and sexual awareness campaign; and popularising the comprehensive health care strategy emphasising the HIV and AIDS and STI Strategic Plan and other health promotion material. Working together with civil organisations such as NAPWA and POMESA this all-out onslaught on the conditions that encourage the spread of this disease will bring about the desired results. On a broader front, we trust that the onset of a campaign against gender oppression will also help us fight many other social challenges that plague the lives of our people. These challenges that we face are not only about violence against women and children, but also alcohol abuse, child neglect and abuse, abuse of the elderly people, and crime generally. There is an important role for us men to play in the fight against crime. Half the time crime is committed by men, it can and must be stopped by men. Crime is affecting all of us in different ways. While government has a clear strategy to fight crime, government alone will not win this fight. We need a strong partnership with our communities to push back the tide of crime. Once again government calls on all our people to join forces to stamp our crime. Among other measures, we can eradicate crime by doing the following: * reporting any and all criminal activities being committed; * protecting our police force and allowing them to do their job; * not buying stolen goods; * not harbouring criminals in our homes or in whatever manner, even if there are our sons or daughters because in such situation they will leave no proud legacy for you. We are fast nearing the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup, of which our nation will be the proud host. I am confident that we will share with the people of the world our generosity and display the spirit of Ubuntu/Botho that we are known for. As men we must make our country and continent proud. Let us support our team and all African teams. This, among others, means we will protect visitors from the negative activities perpetrated by criminals and ensure that we work with the police by reporting all crime-related activities. One of the important lessons of social gatherings is the value of acting in concert with others in an organised fashion to tackle our challenges. By organising ourselves there is a lesson to all of us that our views may not necessarily be wrong and there is value in working together and testing ideas collectively, which requires us to throw our lot together not only to raise issues but also to address them together. We should not as communities always depend on conventional wisdom for ideas about what is the best way forward for us, because we are the ones on the ground, and therefore should always proceed from the understanding that none but ourselves have the capability to address our problems. A caring man is one who is capable of feeling deeply about the pain visited upon others; someone who pursues justice whether it implicates his family or other members of society. This is someone who wants justice for all, whether friend or foe. In essence, this is the basis of building a caring society. Let us spread this message of love, peace, responsibility and care. It is men, women and all members of society who bear the responsibility of building a united, democratic non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous society! (Kgalema Motlanthe is the ANC Deputy President and Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa this is an edited extract of his address during the International Men's Day celebration) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- VIEWPOINT BY NATHI MTHETHWA Along came ageism The advent of democracy has given birth to free and unhindered national dialogue on virtually all issues. There are no holy cows! As Mao once said, "letting a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend is the policy for promoting progress." Various media platforms purporting to serve the noble ideals of keeping the nation and the world informed, educating the public and, telling the whole truth, compete for every cent and eye of the inquisitive readership. Slowly but surely, the local voice is also beginning to be heard through local radio stations, local newspapers and the internet. The contending voices in this battle of ideas have grown, and so have the tactics of engagement, with headlines, particularly at national level, suggestive of a world about to come asunder. The limits of truth and substance are being stretched. The meaning of freedom of speech is being expanded to even suggest freedom to hurl insults at others. The need to evaluate the superiority of an argument has taken a back seat. There has also emerged a trend where some among the elders speak in a manner that is designed to silence the youth. Instead of engaging on the substance of issues, these elders pass value judgments and use what is, or borders on vulgar language. When responded to in like manner, they suddenly remember the age-old adage that the young should respect the old, while conveniently forgetting that the young learn such respect from their elders. We must hasten to say that not all the elders propagate this skewed and myopic view. An example of such elders is Ntate Don Mattera who has in the recent past defended the right of the young to air their views and to be heard, and not to be silenced whether we agree with them or not. The very serious issue of crime currently faces our country. Much is being done to confront this situation head on, and among the things under consideration, is whether the police should be a force or a service. The call for the creation of a single police force in the country is both a constitutional imperative and a resolution of the governing party in its last 52nd National Conference in Polokwane. "The constitutional imperative that there be a Single Police Service should be implemented," Conference said. Members of other parties have all the right to differ with this position, not those who are members of the ANC. This resolution was taken at the highest decision making body of the African National Congress and it is binding to all its members. Responding to the reopening of this debate, a process which in any event is at its infancy, Professor Asmal's contribution has been to insinuate that the Deputy Minister of Police is crazy. Instead of providing leadership to society, this elder chose to use obscene language. While we accepted his leadership, he would rather be dead than accept those he disagrees with as leaders. What kind of informed response is this? What will the youth learn from such utterances? What are the implications for the future of our democracy if respected members of our society prefer death to accepting the prospect of a democratic outcome, if such were to be contrary to their wishes? In her recent address in Cape Town, Dr Mamphela Ramphele raised the issue of integrity in public life. She made a well thought out and diverse presentation. Among others, she said, All signs in our society point to the need for us to take stock and ask ourselves fundamental questions about how we have been able to discharge our responsibilities to honour the ideals we enshrined in our founding constitution. We stand at a crossroads yet again as a society struggling to emerge from the growing pains of being a young democracy." South Africa is presented here as a country or society that is "at a crossroads," "struggling" to emerge from our past. This is a rude summation of our conjuncture. We certainly face many challenges. Some of these were there at the dawn of democracy, while others are the consequence of the progress we have made. But we are, by any measure, definitely not at a crossroads. The issue about our country's social evolution is a matter of degree and rate, rather than failure to make progress. Unless one was under the illusion that three centuries of deep-rooted socio-economic-political injustice could be undone in a decade, there is, on the balance of evidence, no material basis to suggest that our country and its government is failing. The Ten and Fifteen Year Reviews offer some perspective in this regard. We cannot agree more with her when she says that much more work remains to be done. Dr Ramphele further says, "We all grossly underestimated the task of transforming ourselves into a democratic society. We did not reflect enough on the paradigm shift it would entail given our pre-1994 histories. Nor did we appreciate the complexities embedded in our diverse starting points in our journey to the new dispensation." The Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) document, published in 1994, states among others that, "There is not a single sector of South African society, nor a person living in South Africa that is untouched by the ravages of apartheid … At the same time the challenges facing South Africa are enormous… To reach the RDP's objectives we face many obstacles and we are setting ourselves a great challenge. Each and every expectation will not be met immediately. Hard choices will have to be made." From the foregoing, it is clear that the assertion that we underestimated the task of transformation is incorrect, and to suggest that we did so "grossly," is completely of the mark. Dr Ramphele delivered an eloquent tribute to the late Helen Suzman, and among others said, "Helen Suzman's courage was most memorable in fighting a lone battle against this inequity. She was not intimidated as a lone voice: only woman, only opposition MP, only defender of human rights of those without a voice. Hers was an ethical stand in the face of overwhelming belief by white people that these were essential laws for their survival as a group in a country with a predominantly black population." This reminded me of what Comrade Jeremy Cronin said in Parliament earlier this year. Speaking during the debate on the President's State of the Nation Address, Cronin said, "Comrade President, you spoke generously about the late Helen Suzman, and I think that was appropriate. You said she represented the values of this Parliament in the Chambers of the previous parliament. I think that was a generous comment, but an appropriate one to an outstanding South African. We have no doubt about that. But Helen Suzman was also honest, and she wouldn't want us to be dishonest about what she stood for. The party she represented in the previous Chambers of the previous parliament believed that the majority of South Africans were not yet ready for the vote, which is why they argued for a qualified franchise." The National Liberation Movement is fully cognizant of the interdependence between the goals of social transformation and national reconciliation. Therefore, those among us, and the youth in particular, who have criticized Professor Jansen, did not do so on the basis of disagreeing with the intended ultimate objective. The integrity of the process is as important as the goal itself. The point that was being made is that, the victims of the racist acts, and civil society organisations that are representatives of the University community and the people of Free State should have been involved in the process. Excluding the victims in a process that is designed to pardon the perpetrators is a further insult to the dignity of the people whose rights have been violated. The criticism is therefore based on a perceptible fault in the process. It is perhaps the irony of our times that whilst uTat' uTutu presided over an inclusive TRC process, he today sees nothing wrong with granting a pardon to perpetrators without involving victims in that process. Personalised attacks by our elders to the youth have invited similar counter attacks from the youth. This has not done the debate on issues any good, nor has it benefited society in any way. However, the youth too, does need to be reminded of the responsibility to take only what is good from the past as we give birth to the future. What is clear though is that a certain strand of thought has reached the limit of its progressive content and has become irrelevant. Sensing its own demise, it now presents its own imminent extinction as that of the whole of South Africa. This is a lie. Hope galvanizes energy and is a catalyst to action. Loss of hope demobilises. We must then ask what has happened when people who were once proponents of hope have suddenly become prophets of doom and gloom. We look up to our elders like Madiba to provide honest and wise counsel. South Africa is on the right path for social progress, the future is youthful. (Nathi Mthethwa is an ANC NEC member and Minister of Police) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ALLIANCE SUMMIT Consolidating and advancing the democratic gains The African National Congress National Executive Committee led by President Jacob Zuma held an Alliance Summit with the South African Communist Party (SACP) led by Secretary General Blade Nzimande, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) led by Zwelinzima Vavi and the South African National Civic Association (SANCO) led by…. The Alliance Summit was for the first time since the 2009 General Elections met from 13-15 November 2009 in Esselen Park to deliberate on the democratic movement's unique role and responsibility to the transformation of South Africa and the African continent. The focus of the Summit was to review the implementation of the Programme of Action that emanated from our shared electoral platform in the 2009 Election Manifesto. The alliance thanked millions of our people for the confidence they have shown in the ANC led alliance and returning the ANC to government in the elections held in April 2009. Summit also reconfirmed the resolutions of the last Alliance Summit held in May 2008 and the Alliance Economic Summit held in October 2008. The Summit took place in the midst of the global economic crisis, which has had a profound impact on the workers and the poor majority of our people: nearly a million jobs have been lost in the formal sector in the course of this year. There have been company closures, mass layoffs and deepening indebtedness for many South Africans. Against this background, in the coming period we shall be working together as the Alliance on the following key programmatic areas: Economy development: All Alliance partners reaffirmed the commitment to ensuring the vigorous implementation of the NEDLAC Framework Agreement on South Africa Response to the Global Economic Crisis. The Summit agreed that there is a need to link our short-term counter-cyclical response with our long-term objectives of transforming the structure of the economy and moving to a different growth path. We support Government's infrastructure investment programme as key component of South Africa's response to the crisis. The scale and scope of industrial policy needs to be increased, and funding needs to be increased commensurately. The summit agreed that the Alliance Task Team on macro-economic policy must remain seized with reviewing and broadening the mandate of the Reserve Bank. National Planning Commission: The Alliance agreed with the broad thrust of the Alliance discussion document on the Green Paper on National Strategic Planning. In particular we agreed that there is a need for the National Planning Commission (NPC) located in the Presidency, which will be chaired by the Minister in the Presidency for the NPC and whose main responsibility will be to ensure an integrated strategic planning across government. Towards energy security and sustainability: The summit recognised the importance of energy security in order to advance the developmental agenda of the country. The summit also noted with concern that the successive tariff increase requests through the multi year price determination by Eskom will negatively impact on society, the economy and jobs. The summit therefore supported efforts to have the tariff increases minimised. The summit also agreed that we would ensure that government-led energy policies place greater emphasis on sustainable and renewable technologies and the creation of green jobs. We also agreed that our energy mix must contribute to our international obligations to promote a cleaner environment and mitigate the effects of climate change. The alliance will conduct a campaign for energy efficiencies and to promote the use of alternative energy sources in society. Rural development: The Summit agreed to work towards a comprehensive approach to rural development which will focus on the following: food security, transformation of the apartheid spatial reality, expansion of provision of social and economic infrastructure, the plight of farm dwellers and farm workers and systematic promotion of co-operatives. Education: The Summit reaffirmed education as a key priority of our movement. A mass campaign for basic education, public sector workers will play a role in this campaign. The ANC-led Alliance will launch a quality education and teaching for all - to be launched before Alliance Education Transformation Summit next year. The Campaign will mobilize our communities, the parents, the learners, the teachers and government education of officials. This will include the enforcement of "non-negotiables" agreed to at the previous Alliance Education Summit. With regard to our approach to higher education and training the Summit agreed to continue with a process to realign and build capacity for FET colleges and align the SETA's to produce skills to meet our developmental objectives. We support the call and will participate dynamically in government led summits on Higher Education and Skills development to be convened in 2010. Health: The transformation of the national health system will require strategic leadership through the Alliance to mobilize society around a social compact for health care transformation. Central to the implementation of the Ten-Point Plan for health care transformation is organization and mobilization of our people. In the period ahead we will, working together with government and SANAC, mount a campaign for HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment, which includes campaign for HIV/AIDS Testing and Counseling, involving mobilization of our society. We will also mount an ANC-led Alliance campaign on NHI - which will involve public education, and engagements with various sectors of society around the vision and the principles of NHI. This campaign will also emphasise improvement in the quality of health care in our health institutions. Local government: The Summit supports the development of Local Government's "Turn Around Strategy Framework", led and driven by the ANC led Alliance and implemented by Government at all levels, through the full involvement of communities. The intentions of the Turn Around Strategy are to deliver quality, affordable and reliable services to South Africans. An Alliance Summit on Local Government will be held early next year, to focus on service delivery. The Summit noted the centenary celebrations of the ANC and affirmed its support for the preparations towards 2012, which will not be just ANC-led Alliance celebrations but for our people as a whole. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This issue of ANC Today is available from the ANC web site at: http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/anctoday/2009/at46.htm To receive ANC Today free of charge by e-mail each week go to: http://www.anc.org.za/anctoday.php To unsubscribe yourself from the ANC Today mailing list go to: http://www.anc.org.za/anctoday.php