Declarations

We, delegates to this Provincial General Council, representing ANC Branches, the Leagues, MKMVA, Alliance and structures of the broad democratic movement in Gauteng to prepare for the 3rd NGC of our glorious movement the African National Congress.

The PGC reaffirmed the historic mission of the ANC, that of building a National Democratic Society, that is united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic, united and prosperous.

The Provincial General Council spent time focusing on addressing challenges facing our movement and more importantly our society.

The PGC therefore deliberated on the following key issues that will be discussed at the 3rd NGC.

1. On The Strategy and Tactics

The PGC declared that:

• The ANC remains the strategic centre of power, the leader of the National Democratic Revolution and a discipline force of the left.
• Both subjective and objective factors in the balance of forces remain in our favour to advance the cause of our National Democratic Revolution.

2. On Organisational Renewal, Discipline and Leadership Renewal

• We re-affirm the need to renew our movement and reposition it to continue to be the leader of the South African revolution and society for many years into the future.
• Also, to renew the progressive values and principles that have characterized our movement – unity, service, sacrifice, selflessness, collective leadership, democratic centralism, internal debates, humility, honesty, hard work, constructive criticism and self-criticism, discipline and mutual respect.
• These values and principles remain the defining feature of the kind of leadership and membership that our movement requires.
• The PGC is absolutely committed to ensure that the ANC structures in Gauteng will take the lead restoring the core values of our movement.

3. On State Transformation and Governance

• We reaffirm our position on the building a developmental state that has the capacity to deliver on its mandate, and most importantly, to redirect resources towards the upliftment and development of the poor. A state that intervenes at all levels in order to achieve its strategic developmental agenda.
• We must strengthen the capacity of Legislatures to oversee the implementation of our electoral mandate and policies and ensure accountability of Government.
• Developing a systematic analysis on the role of provinces with regard to powers and functions with the view of enhancing their capacity to speed up effective service delivery, this should constitute part of recommendations that are to be tabled at the 53rd National Conference.
• In our quest to strengthen the work of municipalities, we have to implement a framework that a separates the Executive and the Legislature to ensure effective oversight with regards to the delivery of services.

4. On Economic Transformation

• The PGC reaffirmed the strategic imperatives of a job-creating economic growth and the need to change the ownership patterns of the South African economy to reflect the true character of South African society.
• The PGC also reaffirms that our developmental state must intervene in the economy in a manner that fosters economic development and meaningful participation of Black people and Africans in particular in the main stream economy, with a specific bias on women, youth and workers.
• The PGC’s perspective is that the ANC’s approach to the transformation of the South African economy should always be holistic and comprehensive. The ANC should further explore greater state intervention, ownership and control of strategic sectors of the economy.

5. On Social Transformation

• The PGC reaffirms education, health and fighting crime as key priorities of this term of government.
• The PGC called for a comprehensive discussion in the Alliance on the type of public service that is required by the developmental state. This will enable us to take appropriate steps to ensure that there is targeted investment in the development and preservation of a developmental public service that has a new work ethic, especially in education, healthcare and policing.
• We should assess and review the recent public service strike and draw the necessary lessons in order to ensure that similar mistakes are not committed in the future.

6. On the Gender Perspective

• The PGC reaffirms our position of building a non-sexist society. We are of the firm resolve that the society we seek to build must never be defined by any feature of race, gender and class.
• We also recommit ourselves to fight against patriarchy and other forms of discrimination against women.
• We also of the view that one of the key tasks of our developmental state will be to advance programmes that are about realizing a society that is non-sexist, non-racial, democratic, united and prosperous.

7. On the Transformation of the Media and Communications

• As part of taking forward the Polokwane resolution on transforming the Media, the PGC is taking forward the position that we must conclude the investigation on the transformation of the current regulatory mechanisms of the media. In this regard we are of the view that Parliament is better placed to implement this task.
• We also declared that the Developmental State must focus its energies on building a strong Public Broadcaster, transform existing mechanisms that are geared towards the transformation of the communication sector to be all-embracing.

8. On International Relations

• We reaffirm our approach of peace as a prerequisite to development. And that cannot be separated from the struggle to democratise multilateral institutions.
• As part of building a better Africa and a better World, the developmental state must strengthen; South to South relations, work with SADC, the AU, BRICSA, NAM, the G77, the North and the United Nations.
• We reaffirm our support on the work being done by the State in ensuring that the SADC region does become integrated.
• We also continue to support initiatives that are geared at finding lasting peace in Africa, the world and, in particular the Middle East.

9. On Local Government Elections

• The PGC commits that we will work more optimally in mobilizing our people for winning overwhelmingly the 2011 Local Government Elections.
• Having learnt from past elections, we will work tirelessly and as a more coordinated and united elections machine.

Conclusion

The PGC is of the view that our movement is ready to take forward the tasks of our national democratic revolution. We emerge from this important gathering more convinced that our task remains that of uniting the people of South Africa.

As we move towards the NGC and the Centenary of our movement, we will ensure that the ANC remains a disciplined force of the left that is at centre stage of the transformation of South African society away from its apartheid colonial past.

We will ensure that the ANC remains united, disciplined and great source of inspiration to the overwhelming majority of our people. As Gauteng, we guarantee that there shall be high morale and iron discipline among our delegates. We guarantee that we shall engage in the NGC debates robustly, without fear or prejudice.