Ending of the Government of Provincial Unity in the Western Cape

This Conference noting:

• The decision by the National Party in the Western Cape to end the government of provincial unity in the province by removing the four ANC MECs, the deputy speaker and the ANC chairpersons of committees;
• That the DP and ACDP have opted to participate in Kriel’s “multi-party” cabinet and have actively supported the ending of the government of provincial unity by voting for the provincial constitution;
• That Kriel’s much vaunted plan to bring two outside experts into the provincial cabinet failed dismally when not a single credible African or Coloured leader approached accepted his offer;
• The tremendous achievements of the four ANC MECs in regard to both the transformation of provincial departments and the effective delivery achieved in every corner of the province.

And Believing that:

• The NP is intent on consolidating white minority privilege in a desperate attempt to block fundamental transformation and bolster its declining support base in the Western Cape;
• The DP’s eagerness to participate in Kriel’s racist cabinet, while refusing the invitation of our President to be part of the National Cabinet, is a clear illustration of its inherent racism and reveals an agenda which, simply put, aims to preserve privilege at all costs;
• The deliberate exclusion of the ANC from the provincial cabinet effectively excludes over 38% of the people of the Western Cape from participation within the executive and will impact negatively on the ability of the provincial government to meet the basic needs of the people of the province;
• The NP’s actions are a serious threat to nation-building, non-racialism and unity both in the Western Cape and the country as a whole, and have led to the further polarisation of communities within the Western Cape and between the province and the rest of South Africa;
• Kriel’s government has failed to bring about transformation so needed in the Western Cape and that systematic attempts will be made by the NP to roll back the gains made by the ANC MECs.

Therefore resolves:

• To call on the incoming NEC to urgently develop a programme of action aimed at supporting the ANC in the Western Cape in its new role as an effective, vibrant and committed opposition to NP rule;
• That such political investment by the NEC should prioritise the development, together with the ANC in the province, of a political programme which will ensure the comprehensive defeat of the NP in the 1999 elections;
• To call on all people of the Western Cape and beyond, who are committed to nation building, to unite and fight this last vestige of racist rule together with the ANC, in order to ensure that we achieve a better life for all the people of the Western Cape and bring about lasting freedom for all the people of South Africa.

On Isithwalandwe Seaparankoe, Nelson Mandela

That this Conference noting:

• The immense contribution of President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela to the ANC and his rich experience in the struggle for liberation;
• Further Noting Cde Madiba’s rare capacity to fire with enthusiasm all members of the ANC and to inspire even the humblest among our people;
• Noting further that Cde Mandela is a symbol and an embodiment of the best virtues of all our people, the disciplined struggle of the peoples of Africa to regain their freedom and dignity, their bravery, determination, loyalty and vision;
• And further recognising his exceptional leadership role in the process of national reconciliation and nation-building in South Africa, in Africa, and in the world;
• Therefore Resolves that this 50th Conference of the African National Congress directs the incoming NEC, fully cognisant of his richly deserved rest, to immediately confer with Cde Mandela as to how the leading structures of the ANC can still benefit from his immense experience in the task of raising the ANC and South Africa to greater heights.

Strategy and Tactics

• This 50th Conference of the ANC broadly endorses the draft Strategy and Tactics document, and; Recognising the shortcomings highlighted in the reports of some of the commissions of Conference; Noting the President’s Address and the proposed amendments to the draft document;
• Mandates the NEC to establish a sub-committee of not less than three persons to prepare a revised version which would take into account the identified shortcomings, report back to the NWC by the end of March 1998 with a view to enabling the NEC to adopt a final version of the Strategy and Tactics to guide the work of our movement in the period ahead.