Mbalula says the NEC will also discuss the party’s poor perfomance at the elections and provide a diagnostic report.
African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Fikile Mbalula on Monday said the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) will meet at the end of this week to finalise outstanding cases before the party’s integrity commission.
The commission is seen as an important tool for the party’s renewal and self-correction process.
Mbalula was speaking at an ANC gathering in Johannesburg to commemorate the life of an ANC stalwart Albertina Nontsikelelo Sisulu in Johannesburg on Monday.
“This NEC will focus on two things. The first issue will be to finalise the terms of reference of the integrity commission and to finalise all the outstanding cases of integrity that were presented in front of the National Executive Committee (NEC).”
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He said this move was essential to the rebuilding and renewal of the party.
“Gone are the days where the ANC will be complicit, ambiguous about the fight against corruption.”
Step-aside rule
Mbalula also said the introduction of the controversial step-aside rule was another indicator that the party was serious about dealing with corruption.
“Today many of our comrades that face challenges in terms of the law and all of that whenever they are arrested, they are required by the law to step aside. Renewal is painful like that.”
He says party members who have been arrested and charged should clear their names in the courts for the sake of the organisation.
“Gone are the days when ANC members will wear T-shirts to support comrades who are facing charges. The ANC belongs to the people. The time for misbehaving is over.”
State of the ANC
He said the NEC will also deal with a diagnostic report on the state of the ANC.
“In the elections, we said we suffered a strategic setback for the first time the ANC dropped below 50%. We will examine the state of the organisation.”
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He said he appreciated the efforts that were put in by branches and leaders of the party in the elections.
But he said the ANC had “failed”.
“We are not at the level we are supposed to be as the ANC. The National Executive Committee (NEC) will take stock of this state of organisation.”
Quality cadres
On the other hand, Mbalula said after the NEC meeting, the party was also planning on strengthening political education for its members and government deployees.
“We are now all going to go through political education, foundational, we must not all assume we all know where we are going.”
He said the ANC would embark on a “qualitative development” of ANC comrades.
The campaign will focus on producing quality leaders.
“We organise thousands and thousands of members but amongst them, we know very few will understand the pathway of the liberation struggle.”
Mbalula said the ANC was also ceased with the matter of rebuilding the party in Gauteng.
This comes after the province’s disappointing performance at the elections this year.
In Gauteng, the party received around 34% of the provincial votes.
