UNDERSTANDING THE DANGER OF SOCIAL DISTANCE AND ISOLATION FROM THE MASSES: THE ANC POLICY DISCUSSION ISSUE
In the discussion document titled ‘organisational renewal’ the ANC identifies the seven dangers that any governing party has to contend with. The contextualisation of these dangers is within a ‘rather short’ and yet potent self-critique heading of organisational shortcomings and weaknesses. Whilst these weaknesses are presented for members to concur and/or refute, the bravery within which they are articulated in public demonstrates a resolve by the ANC to decisively ‘shed’ itself of the skin that it has grown post the 1994 democratic breakthrough. A ‘skin’ which represents detachment from its ‘ideational’ and ‘political’ constituencies. Like a proverbial snake that is bound to shed its skin in order to progress into its next phases of growth and maturation, the ANC has to undertake its renewal programme in a manner that does not change its earned rich character. A character that subsumes into itself all strands and shades of thought and persuasions known to have united South Africans...