Cosatu and the South African Communist Party will have to persuade ANC branches that their members should be included as public representatives in the provincial and national legislatures after next year’s elections.
An ANC draft-list guideline document, obtained by the Mail & Guardian this week, makes it clear that seats will not be reserved for its alliance partners. ”There will be no reserved seats for any organisation within or outside the alliance on the lists, because MPs are ultimately accountable to the ANC,” the document reads.
The ANC’s communist allies, central to installing Jacob Zuma as ANC president, have consistently demanded quotas for communists in legislatures. The Young Communist League demanded a 30% quota for communists in Parliament. With Zuma in power the left believes it can shape ANC and government policies.
The list guidelines say: ”The list process is an ANC process and provision is made for the effective participation of the alliance.
”All nominations are generated from ANC branch general meetings and alliance partners will be allocated voting representation at the provincial and national list conferences, as determined by the PEC [provincial executive committee] and the NEC [national executive committee],” reads the document. The list process is expected to heighten tensions in the ANC ahead of its national list conference on December 13 and could drive unlisted ANC members, particularly supporters of former president Thabo Mbeki, into the arms of the Congress of the People.
The guidelines call for the process to be democratic and transparent and to ”allow for strategic political intervention to ensure balance”. They say the process and final list should have legitimacy and broad acceptance to avoid conflict and appeals.
The ANC’s Polokwane conference passed a resolution providing for 50/50 gender representation in all structures. It also urges members to exclude those found to have been involved in corruption in the past.
”ANC public representatives, more so than those of any other party, should be above reproach in their political and social conduct, as defined by our revolutionary morality, be honest, have integrity, be incorruptible and actively fight against corruption.”
The party will present the final guidelines to provincial leaders at its NEC meeting this weekend.
It is expected that the party will hand provincial leaders a report reviewing current MPs and provincial legislature members to help members in the listing process.