The African National Congress (ANC) on Tuesday said it will be releasing a twenty-five-year review discussion document, which will reflect on lessons learnt, as well as how society will look in the next 25 years.

The ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) legotla, which took place against the backdrop of the twenty-five-year review of democracy, also translated its Manifesto mandate into a concrete five-year programme for implementation.

The NEC met for its annual lekgotla, from June 1 to 3.

ANC secretary general Ace Magashule said the manifesto is a compact with the people of South Africa to continue with the revolutionary programme for the acceleration of the transformation of society and to move faster to build a better life for all, by decisively tackling unemployment, poverty and inequality.

“Five successive ANC administrations, working with the people, have over twenty-five years put in place a progressive social wage that protects the dignity of the vulnerable (children, the elderly, people living with disabilities) and have extended basic services to millions of people – 3.1-million houses, access to electricity to over 70% of households, access to water, sanitation and refuse removal to millions as well as health care and the building and upgrading of roads and social infrastructure in disadvantaged areas where the majority live,” Magashule added.
    
The economy, after decades of recession grew, gross domestic product (GDP) tripled and employment doubled over this period. 

“On the fiscal side, we reduced the apartheid debt from 48.3% of GDP in 1994 to 22.4% in 2008, it spiralled again to 55.8% of GDP in 2018 following the financial crisis,” he noted.
    
Despite this progress, the persistence of the triple fault lines of poverty, unemployment and inequality, based on race and gender, remain major impediments to progress. “Learning lessons from the first twenty-five years, we must therefore tackle the root causes of these persistent fault lines with determination,” he said.

Growth

The lekgotla identified seven areas of focus over the term of the sixth administration from 2019-2024, which form the foundation of the ANC Manifesto.

1. Transforming the economy to serve all South Africans, and create jobs.
2. Investing in the capabilities of all the people, through an education and skills revolution, and health.
3. Advancing social transformation through the strengthening of the social wage
4. Tackling the persistence of apartheid spatial development to build sustainable and safe human settlements, towns and rural areas, and effective local government.
5. Advancing nation-building and social cohesion, and a safe South Africa for all.
6. Building a better Africa and world: the lekgotla appreciates the implementation of conference resolutions such the downgrading of the Israel embassy into a Liaison Office, solidarity with the people of Cuba, Venezuela, Saharawi, and especially Palestine.
7. Renewing and building a capable, honest developmental State and a social compact.

The focus of this sixth administration is on accelerated implementation, working with all South Africans, noting that each of these seven areas have apex priorities, towards which energy and resources will be directed, and around which the party will build social compacts with all stakeholders.

He explained that racism, unemployment and inequality remained the principal challenges confronting society, noting that about ten-million South Africans are unemployed.

The lekgotla agreed that unemployment was a national emergency and that unemployment should be reduced from 27.6% to 14% in the next five years, whilst focusing on a skilling and reskilling programme for 3.5-million young South Africans. The ANC plans to achieve massive job creation on the back of a new Industrial strategy, Job Summit initiatives, Operation Phakisa, and the Private-Public Growth Initiative.
    
"A re-imagined Industrial strategy seeks to diversify the economy, develop and invest in targeted sectors, facilitate the participation of black people and women in the economy and create jobs. The strategy is export-orientated, targets labour-intensive sectors as well as small business and cooperative development, broadened participation, and with stakeholder involvement at the centre," he explained.
    
The industrial strategy targets the following ten sectors: automotive; clothing, textile, leather and footwear; gas; chemicals and plastics; renewables; steel and metal fabrication; tourism; high-tech sectors; the creative industry; oceans economy and agriculture and agroprocessing.
    
It was agreed that all ANC deployees will ensure that resolutions of the fifty-fourth National Conference will be fully implemented. In this regard the ANC NEC lekgotla agreed to expand the mandate of the South African Reserve Bank beyond price stability to include growth and employment. It also directed the ANC government to consider constituting a task team to explore quantitative easing measures to address intergovernmental debts to make funds available for developmental purposes.

He said these measures should consider inflationary impact on the currency and the poor and all must be done to cushion them. This is consistent practice by developed countries to save their economies. This will go a long way in dealing decisively with the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality.
    
The lekgotla identified the current challenges confronting Eskom as a national crisis. Noting the fiscal and economic threat that this poses, the lekgotla resolved that fixing Eskom should be an apex priority.
    
The ANC will strive to undermine apartheid spatial planning as part of the national effort to ensure integration of communities. The ANC would embark on a programme of building new cities which will have places of settlement closer to work and other social amenities.
    
Government will support strategic economic zones with the focus on unlocking the economic potential of each zone and therefore creating sustainable jobs. This will, in addition, create self-sustaining small towns and help slow the rapid urbanization process with its attendant challenges.

The lekgotla acknowledged that what must underpin the mandate of the ANC and ANC-led government is to build unity in the ANC as well as across society. The mandate of renewal must inform and inspire the way government does its work. A new sense of urgency will be injected into the Thuma Mina programme in the form of Khawuleza.
    
Magashule stated that the Manifesto, and its apex priorities identified by the lekgotla will be translated into the Medium-Term Strategic Framework of government. “President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his State of the Nation Address on 20 June 2019, will provide the practical details of how the ANC government will implement these priorities,” he concluded.