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The ANC KZN Provincial Executive Committee held its ordinary PEC meeting on the 26th of September 2022 to receive a report on the views from the branches towards the ANC 55th National Conference.

This followed an instruction to regions that they should convene branches to get a mandate which the PEC will use to lobby other Provinces on its position towards the conference.

PONGOLO TRUCK ACCIDENT     

The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal wish to down its revolutionary banners and send words of condolences to the families that lost their loved ones in the Pongolo truck accident.

We also send our condolences to many more other families who have lost their loved ones in the recent period.

We convey the message of deep grief that when our people are in pain we are also in pain as the African National Congress . Being God fearing people we say may their souls rest in eternal peace. 

We are calling the Freight Industry to stop prioritizing profits over human lives and as a matter of urgency.

We call for an immediate end to using routes that are not designed for trucks that carry oversize cargo. They must return to routes that are normally used for such in particular, the N3.

The ANC working with faith-based organizations and religious fraternities will organize a Prayer that will also be followed by a government prayer led by the KZN Department of Transport Community Safety and Liaison MEC Sipho Hlomuka. 

We further note the emergence of violent crime that is rearing  its ugly head with innocent lives being lost.

We have also seen notable increase in the killing of councilors.

We call upon the Minister of Police Bheki Cele, with our hard working Provincial Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to continue to investigate these senseless killings that continue to rob our people of their breadwinners and leaders that serve them.  

ON HERITAGE DAY 

We wish to express our appreciation to the people of KwaZulu-Natal for displaying their deep love for our heritage over the past weekend.

We witnessed millions, of people throughout the corners of the province embracing our diverse cultures and heritage as we celebrated Heritage Day.

In particular, we pause to pay tribute to the institution of traditional leadership – Izinsizwa, Amabutho, Izintombi, and other key stakeholders – for attending in large numbers Umkhosi WeLembe held in KwaDukuza.

We were encouraged to see leaders of society across all political lines and ordinary members of society across all racial groups - celebrating both UMkhosi WeLembe and Heritage Day together.

We must continue, as the people of this province, to show that the tensions and conflict that were carried over many decades were finally settled by the creation of a platform for all communities to accept each other as equals.

This was done through the advent of democratic change, the national general elections based on equality, and the principle of one man one vote. Equally important are the chapter 9 institutions for the preservation of democracy.

We now, therefore, have a platform on which to accept all sides of our history as our common heritage. The new South African democracy was founded on the principles of mutual respect and acceptance of our diversity. This is what we must continue to celebrate.

We must work together to ensure that the people of this province have equal access to economic opportunities. There should be no servant and a master, Ours must be an equal society.

Critically, we continue to draw inspiration from the teachings of His Majesty Isilo Misuzulu. His messages of unity and the importance of working together will help us move forward as a cohesive society. 

We reiterate our view, as the PEC, that only a positive attitude about our province will enable us to face the challenges the country faces.

ON ESKOM CEO AND THE BOARD MUST BE FIRED

South Africa adopted a Blueprint overarching vision for the country that envisages the South Africa we want in 2030 called National Development Plan Vision 2030. The NDP envisages the building of a capable developmental state and it provides that: 

“A developmental state needs to be capable, but a capable state does not materialize by decree, nor can it be legislated or waved into existence by declarations. It has to be built, brick by brick, institution by institution, and sustained and rejuvenated over time. It requires leadership, sound policies, skilled managers and workers, clear lines of accountability, appropriate systems, and consistent and fair application of rules”.

The NDP proposes that “The country would need an additional 29 000MW of electricity by 2030. About 10 900MW of existing capacity is to be retired, implying new build of more than 40 000MW”.

The NDP further envisaged that we need to “ensure domestic security of coal supply for existing power stations through industry compact, more comprehensive coal field planning and opening up the Waterberg for coal mining.

It further calls for an “investment in a new heavy-haul rail corridor to the Waterberg coalfield, upgrade the central basin coal network and expand export capacity in the line to Richards Bay”.

On gas the NDP proposes that, we need to start “enable exploratory drilling to identify economically recoverable coal seam and shale gas reserves”.

 The Department of Public Enterprises in 2019 it released a Roadman for Eskom in a reformed Electricity Industry. In that Roadmap the department acknowledges that, “Eskom dominates generation with a total nominal electricity generation capacity of 45 gigawatts and of this, 40 gigawatts come from coal‐fired power stations, with the remainder generated from renewables, nuclear and peaking power facilities”.

The roadmap, therefore, lists amongst the Eskom`s challenges of generational capabilities mainly to, “backlogs in and poor maintenance, low reserve levels, and insufficient coal stocks and frequent use of sub‐standard coal”.

Interestingly the roadmap document observes the future of coal in South Africa that, South Africa is endowed with substantial coal deposits, which have historically been a cost-effective source of primary energy. Coal will remain important for future economic growth and industrialization and the lifetime of Eskom’s coal‐fired plants”. 

Then what is then the current problem facing Eskom?

The answer is simple.

Eskom is facing leadership and management deficiencies from its governing -  the Board and the Head of Administration in the form of the CEO Mr. Andre De Ruyter.

What lacks at Eskom is the development of a clear performance management system that is aligned with the SMART Principle.

Eskom lacks specific targets that are measurable, achievable realistic, and time-bound.

The country cannot afford to continue with the current situation.

The board and CEO must resign.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, working with the relevant Minister Pravin Gordhan is requested, without any delay, to start the process of appointing a well-capable, skilled, and most importantly well-experienced CEO to ensure sustained electricity generation.

The loadshedding has cost the country so many jobs with many opportunities for South Africans being lost. Something drastic has to be done. 

ON NATIONAL LEADERSHIP PREFERENCE BY BRANCHES 

Yesterday, the ANC had a special meeting convened by the Provincial Executive Committee. As stated yesterday, the ANC PEC in KZN remains encouraged by how branches of the ANC and regions have managed discussions on leadership preferences. 

The robust and democratic discussions were anchored under the theme “Festival of Ideas” held from the 19th of September 2022.

We pointed out yesterday that the approach of the PEC towards its special sitting held yesterday was an indication that leaders of the movement, as deployed by ANC branches, understand that 2022 is a special year. The 55th ANC National Conference will be held in December.

We reiterate our position that this is a year where all of us are involved in deep reflection about the journey we have travelled, since the last elective conference held in Nasrec in 2017, in our collective quest to build a democratic and prosperous society that occupies pride of place in the table of other nations.

As we stated yesterday, central to building a democratic and prosperous society – is the leadership that should be elected by the branches of the ANC. 

The outcomes are linked to a democratic process announced weeks ago which allowed ANC branches to discuss national leadership preferences.

As the ANC PEC in KwaZulu-Natal, we have been mandated by the Special PEC meeting and ANC branches, in particular, to overwhelmingly and unambiguously announce that this is a popular view of our branches in the length and breadth of our province: 

1. President of the ANC – Cde Dr. Zweli Mkhize 

2. Deputy President – Cde Paul Mashatile 

3. National Secretary- Stanley Mathabatha 

4. Secretary General - Cde Phumulo Masualle  

5. Deputy Secretary General – Nomvula Monkonyane 

6. Treasurer General - to be discussed with provinces – preferable a woman leader who is vibrant, relatively young, and energetic);

These positions are not cast in stone, we are not fixated nor are we stubborn. We are open to persuasion by various provinces of the ANC because we fully understand this is a National Conference.

The leadership of ANC KZN is subjecting itself to some form of persuasion and can also be persuaded.

This, therefore, gives us a basis on which we as a Province can start formal engagements with other provinces of the ANC.

We want to persuade them and be persuaded.

We can assure all ANC members in the KwaZulu-Natal and the country as a whole that we are going to these engagements with open minds.

We shall agree and accept what is best for the ANC and our country.

Also, we wish to remind our members and supporters that we still have a President until 16 December.

We all have to accord our President the respect and the dignity he deserves as the head of our movement.

As we stated yesterday, central to building a democratic and prosperous society – is the leadership that should be elected by the branches of the ANC because “The People Shall govern”. 

We shall engage other provinces with a high level of mutual respect that there is no small or big province. The importance is the quality of the contribution that a province brings to better the lives of our people. 

Issued by the ANC PEC in KwaZulu-Natal