Revolutionary movements seldom develop elaborate theories on the role that leadership plays in the pursuit and achievement of the objectives of a people. The ANC has, however, made certain pronouncements on the qualities the movement should expect from its leaders. The best contribution to date was the document titled Through the Eye of a Needle. Given that the ANC national conference meets in December in Polokwane, it is appropriate to reflect on the leadership question in the ANC.
In his book Managing the Dream, Warren Bennis writes: ”All humans possess an overpowering desire to understand and predict the future, but a leader takes real responsibility for moulding it by embracing and ‘managing’ a tangible dream for the future.” Bennis describes the dream as ”a road map to a rendezvous with destiny — a set of imaginative hypotheses groping toward whatever vivid Utopias lie at the heart of our consciousness”.
The ”consciousness” of the ANC, as a revolutionary political movement, has always been characterised and shaped by the political reality of South Africa.
In the first 82 years of its existence the ANC’s goal — its ”dream” — was the defeat of apartheid and its replacement with a nonracial, non-sexist, democratic order. Since the demise of apartheid, the ANC’s dream has been encapsulated in the 1994 election slogan: ”A better life for all.” Any leadership collective elected by ANC members in Limpopo has to deliver this dream.
Over the ANC’s 95 years of existence patterns of leadership have emerged, been challenged or embraced, matured, ossified or abandoned as circumstances demanded. The principal thrust of ANC leadership over many decades was to mobilise the people, present their grievances and articulate their aspirations.
In the early period the emphasis was not on a desire to govern, but a desire to win the right of the people to participate in the institutions that governed them. This period, of course, produced the leadership required at the time.
It is common knowledge that the ”protest phase” began in 1949 with the implementation of the Programme of Action. Those who had caused the step-change in the objectives and posture of the ANC realised that they did not have the leadership skills to carry out their programme. So they enlisted Dr James Moroka, who was not part of the leadership of the ANC at that time, and elected him as president in place of Dr Alfred Xuma.
The point of reviewing this history is to emphasise that, in any given period, ANC members have debated the appropriateness of leadership and taken steps to ensure that the movement had the correct leadership for that time.
Over the decades the dominant characteristics of leadership in the ANC were self-sacrifice and being of service to the people — a calling rather than a career. In spite of these noble ideals there were contestations among leaders on issues of strategy, tactics and even personality. Fortunately, the rise of apartheid and its absurdities continued to push all the best brains and people of character, drive and extraordinary commitment into the movement. This ensured the existence of a deep reservoir of cadres who formed the collective leadership of the ANC.
Today we are in a new phase — the phase of governance. Actually, the thinking of the ANC about this phase goes back to the Freedom Charter, when the Congress of the People decided that ”the people shall govern”.
In this phase our dream is ”a better life for all”. This phase has its own peculiarities. Some analysts, whom I consider to be reductionists, ascribe these peculiarities to individual personalities or leadership styles. For me, the key feature is the emergence of ideology in the alliance and the movement as the domiÂÂnant frame of reference in political discourse.
Ideology has always been important in the ANC as an analytical tool, but not as the oil that one anoints oneself or others with as the only qualification for leadership. This recent practice has resulted in individuals or groups within the movement distinguishing themselves by the manner in which they espouse a particular ideological concept, while completely disregarding the consequences of the choices they make as leaders.
This has given rise to a form of political correctness that elevates politics over effectiveness and efficiency.
Today we find ourselves in a politiÂÂcal atmosphere in which conspiracy theories and name-calling are substitutes for political engagement and building consensus. Of course, this is fertile ground for the rise of popuÂÂlism at a time when we need cool, collected and visionary leadership.
We must think about the renewal of the ANC leadership at Polokwane as a winnowing process. The challenge for branch delegates is not to be distracted by the rising chaff in the movement, but rather to concentrate on the waiting grain — the quintessence of the ANC.
The delegates must remember that the fundamental challenge of the ANC leaders they will choose is to deliver conditions in which a better life for all South Africans becomes possible. They have to guard against those who promise them bread without sweat and abundance without production. For, if these elements triumph, our people will be well on their way to becoming a permanent underclass instead of being co-creators of shared growth and prosperity.
The conference delegates will have to draw from the experience and inspiration of the leadership tradition of the ANC. They will have to guard against the tendency that seeks to fashion the ANC into the Communist Party or a Cosatu. The ANC is the leader of the alliance, but it cannot and should not reshape itself into its constituent parts.
Delegates will find that a ”coalition of malcontents” is most vociferous in this debate, mouthing all manner of slogans and revolutionary shibboleths, but driven by the desire to regain positions lost. These comrades will put their personal pains above all reason and what is good for the organisation. Some will be willing to resurrect the demon of tribalism to advantage individuals or groups they believe will ”bring them in from the cold” and give them the positions they believe they deserve.
Given these challenges, I would suggest that a leadership with the following traits would be the best outcome of the national conference:
A leadership collective that is not sectarian and does not represent any narrow self, class, regional, tribal or provincial interests, however they may be dressed up.
A visionary leadership that has the ability to take account of where we are, and put in place mechanisms that will enable our people to achieve the promise of a better life.
A leadership able to articulate our vision to all South Africans and inspire them to do whatever is necessary to achieve it. That leadership will have to know that it is not political parties or governments that will deliver a better life for all, but the individual and collective actions of all the people of South Africa.
A leadership with the ability to manage the inevitable political evolution of the movement, and to ensure that the democratic ideals of generations of ANC members are maintained and remain the leitmotif of the organisation.
A leadership able to lift our nation’s eyes from the challenges that we face so that we can see the possibilities and opportunities that exist internationally — and take advantage of them. It must ensure that not all our energies are consumed by our own problems, such that we have none left to convert our comparative advantage in the world economy into profitable opportunities for our people.
The ANC lives; the ANC leads. I am convinced that by the end of the national conference in Polokwane delegates will have made sure that this slogan remains a reality.
Saki Macozoma is a member of the ANC national executive committee. He writes in his personal capacity