Speeches

Dear family  members of Cde Oliver Tambo, members of the ANC and the community who are  gathered here in Wattville  the last resting place of Cde Oliver Tambo.

Cde President Oliver Tambo we are gathered here to celebrate your 107 th birthday .

As members of the ANC and of the ANCVL we would like to inform you that the organization that you led through the most trying times of apartheid and colonialism is facing an existential crisis.

For the first time after thirty years of democracy we are forced to govern with other political parties that we differ with ideologically,  but they are committed to Constitutional democracy, to the rule of law and clean governance.

We are not coming  here to mourn but to assure  you that as members of the ANCVL working with all structures of the ANC ,we are committed to resuscitate the Renewal program of the ANC.

As the ANC we have put together five pillars of the Renewal Programme which will be implemented  from the most basic organ of the organization, that is the  ANC branch.

The first pillar is; compulsory political education for all members. We have put together a systematic programme of political education and development of new cadres at all levels of the ANC and the broad democratic movement, starting with the foundation course for all members

2.A new approach to recruiting members: Like any live organization, being a member of the ANC  must regularly be subjected to a renewal process. This means that members must meet the minimum criteria to remain a member in good standing using the ANC’s seminal document “Through the Eye of a needle “as a mechanism to test

3.Rethinking the role and structure of the ANC Branch to reconnect with the people: the ANC branch must be the principal vehicle through which members lead the efforts of communities and citizens in advancing community development and service delivery.

4.Place the ethics and integrity agenda at the Centre of organizational and governance work to reclaim the moral authority that was so key in the struggle for freedom. This is possible with an uncompromising attitude to corruption and forms of misconduct and malfeasance.

5.Reassert and practically demonstrate unwavering commitment to the principle of unity, non-racialism,non-sexism, a democratic and prosperous society.

Cde OR this renewal programme is an ANC programme driven by the ANCVL and owned by all the constitutional structures  of the ANC..The ANCVL,Youth League,Women’s League,MK Liberation War Veterans and the mother body.

Cde President Tambo we will not disappoint you.

I thank you.

Dr Snuki Zikalala
President of the ANC Veterans League
082 561 3900