ANC Gauteng chairperson Paul Mashatile called for discipline and unity in the ruling party as it approached its centenary in 2012.
“We have been observing tendencies that are foreign to our movement,” he said on Thursday delivering a political report at the province’s 11th conference.
“This includes lack of tolerance of different views and a breakdown of organisational discipline. We have also seen in other provinces where people are now shooting each other in meetings, howling and disrupting meetings of our organisation.”
He urged the party to return to its core values of “serving, sacrifice, selflessness and humility”.
To enhance renewal of the organisation Mashatile said all provincial leaders had to attend a political school in order to sit on Gauteng’s leadership committee.
He also called on party members to stay away from “unnecessary leadership succession battles” in the run-up to the party’s centenary.
Gauteng, South Africa’s economic heartbeat, had witnessed a resurgence of service-delivery protests recently, with many taking a violent turn.
“While we condemn these violent protests, we must develop a systematic organisational approach toward dealing with grievances in our communities,” Mashatile said.
The former premier called on ANC members to begin preparing for the 2011 local government elections “now”.
The party in the province had reviewed the performance of Gauteng’s municipalities, which were doing “relatively well” according to Mashatile.
‘Capacity challenges’
He did acknowledge that problems persisted, in particular “capacity challenges” and poor financial management.
The driving force behind better service delivery, Mashatile said, was an optimally functioning local government.
To achieve this Gauteng would complete its move towards a metro system of governance by 2016.
As part of this process the Tshwane and Metsweding municipalities would be amalgamated into one metro by 2011.
Mashatile’s 17 page political report touched on youth development, gender equality, education, crime and climate change.
Mashatile and his deputy, premier Nomvula Mokonyane, have both been nominated to lead Gauteng.
The conference continues. – Sapa