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We welcome members of the fourth estate to this briefing  convened to reflect on the outcomes of the first PEC meeting held on January 22.  

We reflect on  the first PEC meeting for the year 2024.

In our meeting we sharpened our election machinery in view of the fact that we have entered the last phase of the election campaign.

While we wait for President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce the exact date of the general elections, we have undertaken to continue to strengthen ANC structures and the Tripartite Alliance.

We are aiming for a resounding victory of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal is a environment that is so fertile for the ANC. 

As foot soldiers of the revolution commanded by the Real Commander-In-Chief President Matamela Ramaphosa we shall crisscross KwaZulu-Natal, village-to-village, street-by-street, township-to-township, vallely-to-valley, suburb to suburb carrying the message of hope to our people.   

This will enable us to fulfill the historic mission of the ANC.  

The PEC as guided by the NEC and January 8th Statement rejects high school propaganda in the form of fake posts on social media about ANC’s possible coalition with certain political parties. 

A winner does not enter into coalition politics. The ANC will defeat all its opponents combined in these coming elections regardless of their shape or form and personalities involved.

Our message is that we will never be distracted. We are marching into a landslide victory.  

ANC lives, ANC Leads.

As long as the ANC is alive, the lives of the poor will improve.

As long as the ANC is alive, the rural masses will see development.

As long as the ANC is alive the students will gain access to basic and higher education paid by government. 

As long as the ANC alive the mothers, the elders, the children will receive free medical care, in particular primary health care.

As long as the ANC is alive, the poor and vulnerable will continue receive social security net. 

ANC lives, ANC Leads.

The PEC agreed to sustain regular election meetings of structures and the alliance to ensure that our election programme is synchronized, evaluated as we implement it. 

Our position is that successful election depends on the Unity of the Alliance and their participation as alliance partners in the campaign. 

Joint ownership and participation in the election campaign in the past years has always delivered victory to the ANC, this is our winning formular. 

In this regard, the PEC received a report on the Local Election Teams. We wish to report that we have managed to set up 100% of LETs. The PEC agreed to continue to strengthen LET’s and local election machinery in all wards and branches as we move along.

If elections were to be held tomorrow we are ready, we have the resources, we have infrastructure, we have human capital, hundreds of thousands of our members, leaders as mass volunteers we are ready – Mayihlome !!!!!.  

During the registration weekend from 3 to 4 February, local election teams and the alliance partners will go on fully fledged campaigning to encourage communities to register to vote especially the youth.

In addition, we wish to indicate that over the past few days we convened impactful Cadres Forums in regions. We reached and engaged face-to-face with more than 50 000 cadres who are rejuvenated and in high spirit to defend their movement and serve our communities. We have welcomed inactive cadres that have come back to strengthen the ANC. 

We salute all cadres of the ANC across all levels for their discipline and revolutionary commitment. 

The forums were marked by discipline and preparedness of ANC cadres to subject themselves to the ideal of the greater good for all as opposed to personal immediate gratification. The people of South Africa are at the centre of our programmes. 

The ANC is for the people without the people there will be no ANC, we are committed to humble ourselves before our people, they criticize us, tell us our shortcomings, advise us where we need to be improved, we are their servants they are our principals.  

ANC volunteers reminded us that subjecting oneself to the ANC means that the organisation is larger than individual interest, all its about the people, the nation and our beloved great country. 

Approach to comrades who participate in activities of other political parties  

We wish to turn our focus to the PEC’s approach to comrades who participate in activities of other political parties 

The majority of members including ANC supporters  we have met during cadres forums committed to respecting the ANC and the ANC‘s constitution and to be subjected to its policies and decisions. 

They made a revolutionary undertaking to defend the ANC and to ensure the longevity of the organisation in power and in society.

They spoke with once voice against tendencies that aimed at weakening and dividing the ANC. 

In this regard, the PEC has resolved that action be taken against all members who are public representatives and members who are participating in the activities of other political parties. 

The following action will be taken: -

a.    All ANC public representatives who are participating in activities of other political formations, their membership will be summarily suspended and will be subjected to a disciplinary action;

b.    Members of the ANC who associate themselves with any political party that contest elections against the ANC their membership is summarily suspended with immediate effect and such will be communicated with each individual member. 

All the above, is in line with organizational renewal and preserving the culture and traditions of the ANC as the oldest political party in Africa.

Deployments to strengthen service delivery

As we approach the general election, we are re-igniting hope and correctness of our peoples belief in ANC as an instrument to ensure the transformation of their lives.

We affirm our commitment to make the ANC a tool for the creation of the national democratic society. This is a society where all the basic needs have been met and the legacy of apartheid have been eradicated to usher in a more equal society.

We are also emphasizing that the attainment of an equal society will entail hard work, discipline and serving communities who always vote for the ANC. 

In order to strengthen service delivery at local level, the PEC wishes to announce the following deployments:-

Cde Njabulo Cele is the new Deputy Mayor of KwaDukuza Local Municipality;

Cde Mbali Cele-Luthuli  is the new Mayor of uMdoni Local Municipality;

Cde Phila Thabethe is new Deputy Mayor for uMdoni Local Municipality;

Cde Mthandeni Mbutho is the new for Speaker in uMdoni Local Municipality;

Cde Zodwa Mzidle is the new Mayor of Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality. 

Our revolutionary congratulations to all comrades. We are confident that they will accelerate service delivery and earn the trust of local communities and serve them with humility, high respect, honestly, commitment and dedication. 

PWC eThekwini Community Outreach Programme

Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, on the same issue of service delivery, the PEC has assigned the Provincial Working Committee to spend whole week in eThekwini Region in the moth of February 2024. 

We have noted complaints around water interruptions, power outages and other challenges in many areas too many to mention. 

The PWC, all deployees of the ANC across all spheres of government together with eThekwini Regional Executive Committee and councilors will focus on service delivery in identified wards. They will do that each day of the week.

There will be a massive PWC Outreach Programme through Community Meetings to engage with all affected communities, respond to their issues and directly apologize for the inconvenience they have suffered through these shortcomings.

This will be a demonstration of our commitment as leadership to bridge the gap between ordinary people and all spheres of government. 

Our people have long raised their discomfort about challenges around service delivery where they live. We urge all councilors to be always there to solve people’s problems listen their complaints.  

Any ANC public Representative who shall be seen disrespecting our communities will be suspended with immediate effect, our people deserve respect because the trust they give the ANC must never be taken for granted. 

It should be remembered that President Cyril Ramaphosa and the national working committee (NWC) undertook a visit to eThekwini. 

In the month of February President Ramaphosa in his capacity as ANC President will host a massive Imbizo in Ethekwini to listen to our communities to hear for himself concerns of ordinary people. The President is prepared to listen and experience first hand daily struggles of our communities.

As Short-Term Intervention, to solve water crisis in Ethekwini, the PEC has instructed the Municipal Leadership led by capable Mayor Kaunda to assess urgent areas that need Water Tankers that can provide water to our communities daily. Assess all areas that have faulty transformers and that such transformers must be replaced as a matter of urgency so that electricity can be  restored to our people. 

Ravaging Floods and messages of condolences

Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, as you all know, once again, KwaZulu-Natal has been hit by devastating floods that have left a trail of destruction and the loss of lives. 

We wish to extend our deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones.  We are encouraging deployees of the ANC to continue with interventions and the ongoing visits to the affected families.  

The PEC received reports about regions affected such as Josiah Gumede Region, Moses Mabhida Region, General Gizenga, eThekwini Region. In Musa Dladla Region one person was struck by lightning.

In particular, we welcome the classification of affected municipalities as disaster areas by ANC deployee – the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Minister Cde Thembi Nkadimeng. She is working closely with MEC CoGTA Cde Bongi Sithole-Moloi and MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works Cde Sipho KK Nkosi.

We believe that this will assist in speeding up the rebuilding efforts that require additional funding from provincial and national departments.

As we move forward, the ANC is alive to the political rhetoric from the opposition political parties. We understand that political parties are already weaponizing this latest disaster with the view of scoring cheap political points. 

We have insisted to our deployees to remain focused and bring government services closer to affected. This will be done in an integrated manner with all spheres of government working together to augment relief interventions.

At the same time, we acknowledge as the ANC that recent severe weather patterns are the biggest threat to human development and are becoming the defining challenge for the 21st century. 

The reality is that such heavy rains accompanied by floods continue to leave a trail of destruction behind - with thousands of families – still trying to recover from the devastating impact of the outbreak of COVID-19 even more vulnerable.

Regarding disaster interventions, the PEC has recommended the following:-

Dedicated interventions in eThekwini Municipality and other areas to strengthen recovery efforts and regular reports to the PS as highlighted above;

Speeding up the process of the construction of the temporary residential units;

Speeding up of the acquisition of land parcels;

Integrated approach towards the planning and provision of bulk infrastructure such as water and electricity;

Co-ordination of the involvement of state agencies such as the Housing Development Agency and National Housing Finance Corporation. 

Co-ordination of the involvement of National Department of Human Settlements, COGTA, Water and Sanitation, National Treasurer Social Development and many other departments.

Economic Sabotage through the Manipulation of the Rand 

The PEC engaged robustly on the issue of economic sabotage through the manipulation of the rand by various banks such as Standard Bank, Absa, Investec, Citibank, First Rand Bank, Barclays, Merrill Lynch, HSBC and Standard Chartered. 

In this regard, the PEC has resolved to act firmly against this economic sabotage.

Accordingly, the ANC will embark on a march through Central Durban District to show a public disapproval and to call for their banking licenses to be revoked.

The PEC further resolve to lobby the NEC to introduce laws that will make corporate corruption punishable. 

It is the vulnerable members of society and the working class that have been pushed to the conditions of squalor with no means of survival.

The ANC and alliance partners are inundated with calls from workers in different spheres of government and in the private sector who are drowning in debt. Garnishee orders in the public service leaves them with no salaries each month.

Their cars and homes are being repossessed by the same banks. Millions of families supported by these workers are affected. 

Two days ago, the media published a story of a former WesBank employee detailing how the finance provider used a specific system to overcharge black clients.

Apparently, this “has been done purposely, to charge black clients more than their white counterparts, a clear sign of economic institutionalized racism. 

Every month we are also learning about the abuse of power and violation of media freedom by the international bank – Standard.  

We will march with alliance partners – SACP, COSATU, SANCO and all progressive forces to end this economic sabotage.

Mayihlome Rally – Launch of ANC Election Manifesto 

ANC President Cde Cyril Ramaphosa will unveil the ANC People’s Manifesto on the 24th February 2024 at Moses Mabhida Stadium, a Stadium that will be fully packed to Capacity and Overflow with more than 150 000 masses of KwaZulu-Natal expected to be in attendance. 

We have strengthened our mobilization and other logistics. By all indications, the stadium will be filled to capacity by 10h30 in the morning. 

The People’s Park has been secured in this regard to cater for overflow. 

Already, there are build up activities such as community meetings which will be followed by blitz, stakeholders engagements, sectoral work, walkabouts. 

The launch of the ANC People’s Manifesto coincides with the beginning of celebrations of the 30 years of Freedom and Democracy.

The achievements of the last 30 years provide a foundation on which the ANC will build a better South Africa for everyone. But it also gives South Africans of being told the true story of transformation and development that has been traversed since 1994.  

The ANC’s achievements articulated by the President during the January 8 Statement Rally demonstrated that the organisation has the capacity and commitment to continue to lead the ongoing struggle For a Better Life for All.  

Commemoration of King Dinuzulu

At this stage, we wish to announce that plans are underway to stage activities marking the Commemoration of King Dinuzulu. This flows from the visit or Ukotha Isilo by the Secretary General Cde Fikile Mbalula, top officials, NEC deployees and  the entire ANC leadership collective from KwaZulu-Natal Province and Umzala Nxumalo region. 

As we have stated in the past, King Dinuzulu ka Cetshwayo remains one of the courageous kings who fought against all forms of injustices.

He became part of the leadership of the contemporary liberation struggle as the Honorary President of the African National Congress. 

He donated cows to the ANC during its formation and blessed the organization as the authentic liberation movement for the indigenous people.  

King Dinuzulu supported the Bhambatha Uprising of 1906 as led by Inkosi Bambatha ka Mancinza of the Zondi clan.

He allowed Bhambatha to work among his people to mobilise them in opposition to the poll tax, because he was against it himself, this he did at great risk for his personal safety and well-being. For his support of the Bhambatha Uprising  he was sent to prison and exile.

In our discussion with His Majesty, King Misuzulu he supported the decision of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal to host a series of events as part of commemoration of the life of King Dinuzulu.

It must be remembered that iSilo uCetshwayo ka Mpande that defeated the British Army in 22 January 1879 was blessed with a son who was his Heir to the Throne King Dinuzulu. 

Who when during his reign the African People were finally defeated by white colonial settlers in 1906 Bhambatha Uprising and they established the Union of South Africa in 1910 excluding black people, as King, iSilo uDinizulu Ka Cetshwayo supported and blessed the formation of the African National Congress. 

Born in 1868 in Babanango, King Dinuzulu departed on the 18th October 1913 in Middleburg. This year we will  be commemorating 111 years since the departure of King Dinuzulu.

School Adoption by each PEC and Regional Leaders 

As we draw towards conclusion, we express our revolutionary appreciation to the members of the PEC who hosted successfully the Khumbul’ eKhaya  Festive Season Programme.

The hearts of communities were touched beautifully by the ANC and this restored confidence in the organisation. On the other hand, PEC members earned the trust of communities and society at large.

Linked to this programme, the PEC has recommended that each PEC member must adopt a school and ensure the delivery of school uniforms to the needy students.

PEC members must take an active interests in the education of children and be involved in the provision of quality education. 

The excellent results achieved by KwaZulu-Natal under the ANC forms the basis for the PEC members to do the following:-

Donation of school uniforms to learners and other things needed by the schools; 

Empowerment of parents and communities to understand educational needs of learners in the nearby schools;  

Advocating for learner-educator and parent partnerships in order to bridge the gap that exists;

Advocating for a crime free school environment; 

Promotion of culture of learning and teaching.

We pause to congratulate Cde Mbali Frazer for her bold leadership. She has made history by ensuring that we occupy the second position in the country for the first time. 

We send our deepest revolutionary appreciation to all categories of staff at head office, districts and circuits. 

We salute educators and organized labour – SADTU for their dedication towards the provision of quality education to the African child.

Conclusion

In conclusion, during the sitting of the PEC, we reminded each other that ours is a province that ties together the proud traditions of our people without sacrificing the gains that democracy has brought us.

The ANC belongs to the people not to individuals. And it is the people that must benefit from the ANC as a vehicle for transformation.

As we enter the final stages of the campaign, we will deliver this message on the streets of townships such as Umlazi, Gamalakhe, Wentworth, Osizweni, Esikhawini and Phoenix to the suburbs of Westville.  

This message will radiate throughout the countryside of Mpendle, Mzimkhulu, Maphophoma in Nongoma and Bhadeni in Paul-Pietersburg, Lutshana in Nquthu, Mhlumayo in Mnambithi, Gcilima in Ray Nkonyeni and many other areas of our people. 

Our message from the PEC is that the ANC is determined to make living in KwaZulu-Natal an even better experience.  That is why we must make the appeal to the people of this province to live in peace and denounce violence. 

We call upon our members to not disturb activities of political parties, not destroy their material, not remove their posters, let’s make campaign free, peaceful and enjoyable. 

We say once again please entrust us with adequate support to take our province forward to a brighter future. In the history of our democracy no other political formation has ever reached this record of popular support in the province.

We call upon the leaders and all members of the African National Congress at all levels to unite, work together and strengthen the ANC.

Let’s turn the organization of Nelson Mandela into a more important  weapon for the transformation of our society and improvement of the lives of all our people. Only a strong and united ANC can deliver a future of our dreams. 

We reiterate that there should be no feeling of alienation by members of the ANC for whatever reason.  The ANC accepts all individuals in terms of the contribution they make in the fulfillment of the dreams of our people. This is the statement we have made in the past.

The ANC treats all its members with the same respect, be they long-serving or newly-recruited, whether they serve in elected or appointed structures of government or outside government service. 

The ANC is a home for all, irrespective of whether people are members of so-called minority or majority population. The ANC is an organisation of equals! 

We are calling upon all comrades to support the President of the ANC to lead the ANC into election victory and become the next President of South Africa.

To those who are not members of the ANC, a vote for ANC is not a wasted vote; it is a vote to build a better South Africa. 

Use your vote for Comrade Cyril Ramaphosa as our Presidential Candidate. We are convinced that our country needs his leadership at this critical moment in time. 

We say Mayihlome !!

Issued by on behalf of the African National Congress Provincial Executive Committee by Provincial Secretary Cde Bheki Mtolo