10 March 2008
The ANC National Working Committee, which held its regular fortnightly meeting in Johannesburg today (10 March 2008), has initiated a major review of the country's education system as a central pillar of economic growth and the fight against poverty.
This follows the decision of the Polokwane Conference that education must be at the centre of the ANC's social transformation agenda over the next five years. This will be one of the issues discussed at the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting being held this coming weekend.
The NEC will also receive an extensive organisational report covering the state of the movement in all provinces, and will reflect on progress made in the implementation of the programme adopted by the NEC lekgotla in January. Other issues on the NEC meeting agenda include plans for the celebration of the 90th birthday of former ANC President Nelson Mandela, proposals on the conferment of ANC awards, plans to establish new ANC media platforms, and preparations for the Alliance Summit scheduled to take place in April.
The ANC will shortly be embarking on a mass campaign to strengthen local government councils and improve their capacity to respond to the needs of the communities they serve. To this end, the ANC will be mobilising all its ministers, MPs, MPLs, councillors and leadership at all levels to do a door-to-door audit of issues of concern in each community, and to work with local councils to address these issues.
The NWC welcomed the outreach programme being undertaken by the ANC's Officials in various sectors and the intensive programme of report-back meetings they have been conducting with ANC structures around the country. The feedback from these meetings has been overwhelmingly positive, and reflect a willingness across society to engage and debate the issues that affect and concern all South Africans.
The ANC welcomes the order by the Cape Judge President John Hlope that the remaining residents of Joe Slovo informal settlement to relocate to temporary houses in Delft, where they will stay until permanent homes are ready for occupation.
The decision underlines the progressive housing policy being pursued by government to house the many South Africans who do not have decent shelter. It recognises that the building of new housing developments will, in some instances, require the temporary relocation of residents.
The ANC concurs with Judge Hlope's statement that government's housing policy was "in no way attempting to re-enact the apartheid ghost of forced removals".
The ANC is concerned with what appears to be a concerted effort to misrepresent statements made by its President, Jacob Zuma, over the last two weeks. Among these was a report that appeared in the UK-based Financial Times (FT) last week, and which was picked up by local weekend media. In addition to a statement released today by the ANC President, the ANC will also circulate a response sent by the ANC to the newspaper. The full transcript of the interview is available on the FT website.
The ANC calls on all journalists and analysts to try by all means possible to directly access the statements and pronouncements of ANC leaders rather than relying on second- or third-hand media reports. For its part, the ANC will make a greater effort to ensure that these are readily available.
Issue by:
National Working Committee
African National Congress
More information: Jessie Duarte 079 506 6756