'Political authority in the ANC, not individual' - Mantashe 8 January 2009

Ninety-Seven Years of the ANC celebrated in the Eastern Cape

As the African National Congress (ANC) today (8 January 2009) celebrated 97 years of existence, ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe reminded members and supporters that political authority remained in the ANC "not individuals".

Addressing a packed East London town hall gathering in the Eastern Cape to mark the ANC's 97th birthday celebration, Mantashe said:"Political authority remains in the ANC, not an individual. When (ANC president in the 1940s) Alfred Bitini Xuma was replaced by JS Morokoa, he did not say he wanted to form another organisation. A resistance group within the ANC has walked away because they did not want to serve under the democratically elected ANC leadership led by Jacob Zuma. This is your leadership, which you must accept.

"We may not be elected in future ANC conferences but we will not walk away but continue to work in the ANC. The issue is never to fall but to stand up whenever you fall. As a leader you must accept to be led.

Mantashe said the Freedom Charter was an ANC document but that it had "now gained a new meaning" since the emergence of a new political entity. "It was a call by (ANC leader) Professor ZK Matthews in the 1950s which led to the Congress of the People that took place in 1955 in Kliptown, adopting the Freedom Charter. The Congress of the People was the idea of the ANC and Allied forces, which included the Coloured Peoples' Congress. Everyone now has to know that they have stolen part of our history.

"Our clarion call is to say to every revolutionary that is here, must stand up and defend our movement and organisation."

"January 8," said Mantashe "Has always been the call by the ANC to intensify the struggle in all fronts - whether making apartheid unworkable." He added: " Over the last 15 years we did so much but a lot still has to be done, especially in poverty alleviation.

"Every child should be afforded an opportunity to go to school, we should continue to address HIV/AIDS challenges. You cannot have an Eastern Cape without rural development. Hence we have identified rural development as one of ANC's five priority areas."

On the history of the ANC, Mantashe said when South Africans gathered in Bloenfontein to establish the ANC, "our people converged in Bloemfontein to form an African state".

Mantashe: "The ANC has generations of leaders, having later changed in shape and in form from passive resistance which the apartheid state made treasonous. 156 leaders and volunteers where charged with treason. This then changed shape and form when our people decided to take up arms through armed struggle.

"There had to be four pillars of our struggle: mass mobilisation, underground, international isolation and the armed struggle. None of the pillars was more important than the other as the masses shielded MK cadres."

He said the ANC's 97th birthday should remind everybody to understand the objectives of the ANC". The ANC's task of building a non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous South Africa would continue.

Turning to the situation in Palestine, where scores of people have died during attacks by Israel, Mantashe said: "International solidarity has always been part of ANC. There is a need for us to pledge solidarity with people of Palestine. We need to give them humanitarian support like food, medicine, donations and blankets. That should not wait for elections."

Issued by:
African National Congress

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