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The African National Congress held a successful annual Caucus Lekgotla
this weekend, 26-27 July 2014, in Cape Town. The Lekgotla, which was the
first in this fifth term of Parliament, was convened under the theme
“Together We Move South Africa Forward”, reinforcing the
steadfastness with which we shall put into action the progressive
electoral commitments we developed together with our people. The
Lekgotla was attended by ANC deployees in both Houses of Parliament.

From this Lekgotla, we have developed an intensive five year programme
of action that will ensure that we strengthen Parliament’s oversight
function to realise our key electoral commitments around the economy and
jobs; rural development, land reform and food security; human
settlements and basic services; education and training; health; and
fighting corruption and crime.

We emerge out of this crucial Lekgotla with great purpose and
resoluteness inspired by concrete plans to strengthen Parliament as a
maker of quality and transformative legislation, as an oversight
authority over the executive, and as a facilitator of regular and
meaningful interaction between public representatives and the people. It
shall be “business unusual” during this term. We will execute the huge
mandate given to us by our people and re-affirm our commitment to work
better and smarter than before. We will intensify the need to radically
transform the economy and drastically improve the material conditions of
our people through an activist Parliament that conducts its oversight
function without fear, favour or prejudice.

We will consistently assess and closely monitor the performance of each
of our 282 MPs to optimise the work of the ANC in particular and
Parliament in general. The Lekgotla agreed that ANC MPs in both Houses
of Parliament must continue to be at the forefront of producing
constructive questions, superior arguments and quality motions as tools
of oversight – informed by the living conditions of our people in
constituencies. During this term, constituency work will take centre
stage in all our programmes. This will ensure that our Members are on
the ground and visible amongst our people so that they are able to
respond timeously and constructively to any matters raised by the
communities. We will confront difficult issues head-on, assert the
hegemony of our progressive ideas, promote and bolster multiparty
debates, and maintain internal discipline and the prestige of the
institution. We will strive for the production of quality transformative
legislation that passes constitutional muster.

At least 40% of our MPs are new to Parliament, and therefore greater
attention will be given to building capacity of Members through
practical political, skills and academic development programmes.

For Parliament to remain relevant as an agent for qualitative change in
the lives of our people, we call upon the institution to change the
current parliamentary political party funding model to ensure that
parties have the necessary capacity to effectively conduct their
constituency business. There is general recognition that appropriate and
sufficient funding of political parties is not only critical to the
functionality and fulfilment of parties’ core responsibilities but also
to our maturing multiparty democracy.

The Lekgotla deliberated on the Code of Ethical Conduct and Disclosure
of Financial Interest for Assembly and Permanent Council Members and
supported its objectives of promoting ethical conduct amongst public
representatives thereby ensuring public confidence in Parliament. As the
Majority Party in this institution, the ANC has a responsibility to
protect the integrity of this important democratic institution and to
ensure its MPs lead by example in their conduct and observance of the
Code. In this regard, caucus will ensure that workshops are conducted to
educate members about theAssembly on Tuesday, 29 July.

Mechanisms to discourage unethical conduct must be created at all levels
to enhance the integrity of our state institutions. Therefore we will
also prioritise the passing of the Public Administration & Management
Bill which will, amongst others, make it illegal for civil servants to
do business with the state. The Parliamentary Code, already mentioned,
also prohibits public representatives from doing business with the
state. Through its enhanced oversight function, this Parliament will
intensify the fight against corruption, crime, greed and violence
against women and children.

During this term of Parliament, deliberate strategic interventions will
be made to strengthen the oversight capacity of our Study Groups and
Portfolio Committees to ensure that they play meaningful oversight and
monitoring roles over the departments for the attainment of radical
economic transformation. Our oversight efforts will be directed at
ensuring that we increase levels of employment, substantially reduce
poverty and inequality, ensure meaningful black ownership and control of
the economy through the BBBEE and the industrialisation of our economy.

Our oversight will also ensure that private sector actively contributes
to inclusive growth, investment, social development and economic
transformation of our society. Eradication of unemployment amongst the
youth is critical, and our oversight will ensure youth-based
empowerment, education, training and job creation through a
multi-pronged approach in infrastructure, public works and other
projects.

The Lekgotla noted that effective communications is central to the
institution’s ability to continuously interact with and be closer to the
people it represents, thereby making it a truly people’s Parliament.
Lekgotla has therefore resolved that the institution introduce a
free-to-air television channel and a radio station to ensure that
parliamentary issues reach the people. The SABC must reinstate its live
broadcast of afternoon parliamentary sittings to ensure debates are
followed by majority of South Africans.

The Lekgotla noted with outrage the continuing acts of blatant and
brutal violence committed with impunity by the Israeli government
through its devastating military offensive in the Palestinian territory
of Gaza, killing innocent children and civilians. We reaffirm our
condemnation of the ongoing atrocious Israeli ethnic cleansing onslaught
across the occupied Palestinian territories. While we welcome the
humanitarian ceasefire, we believe that it will be futile if it does not
lead to the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops.

The Lekgotla also called for the unconditional release of the Cuban
Five, unjustly imprisoned in the US and the lifting of US sanctions
against our sister country, Cuba. The Five were arrested on espionage
charges; held in solitary confinement; denied the right to a fair trial
by an impartial jury; and sentenced, collectively, to four life terms
and 75 years. One of the five has since been released but is not
permitted to return to his home country. By arresting these men without
a fair trial the US has violated their basic human rights. We call on
all who stand for peace and social justice to join the campaign for the
release of Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, Fernando
González, and René González.

We call on the US to also lift its 54-year old economic, commercial and
financial embargo against Cuba, which has resulted in untold
socio-economic hardships in that country.

The ANC will on Tuesday formally table a motion in the National Assembly
proposing that the South African Parliament officially call for the
release of the unjustly imprisoned Cuban Five and the lifting of the US
sanctions against Cuba. We will also propose that the Mandela Day
debate, scheduled the same day, focuses on the situation in Gaza and on
the Cuban matter to enable Parliament to formally pronounce itself on
these international issues. Our positions onaccompanied by a concrete
plan of action which will be announced soon.