The African National Congress has to audit its membership, assessing the quality of the constituencies and educating the members as the party seeks to renew itself following the disastrous May 29 general elections where the party lost its historic majority.
Mbeki addressed the second day of the Gauteng ANC renewal workshop held at at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg.
“I am saying, it is my view that it is very correct, what the movement has said over decades – that the quality of our membership has been declining and let us do something about it. The movement was correct. The renewal process that we must undertake in this process cannot avoid that, but as comrades have said correctly, that should never be done on a factional basis,” said Mbeki.
He said the grassroots membership must also have an opportunity to contribute, giving their views on the ANC members in leadership positions.
The former president said given its current position, the ANC has no option but to renew.
“At the end of it, I think we must make this commitment - we will renew ourselves, to genuinely renew ourselves so that even the masses of the people can say this is a different ANC from the one that we did not vote for. This one (ANC) we will vote for.
“We will be a new ANC doing new thing, not because we want the ANC to look beautiful, but because the ANC by definition is a servant of the people. It must serve the people and the people will say in next elections, we vote ANC,” said Mbeki.
He added that the ANC has much introspection to do, to renew itself for survival.
“ANC conferences and NGCs have successively, all of them, identified this challenge of the decline in the political quality of the members of the ANC. It is a consistent matter that the movement has always identified for a long period of time, to say here is a problem,” said Mbeki.
“Part of the renewal, you need a process to audit this membership, in order to, on the basis of certain criteria, to be able to say stay on as a member and you go on probation. It arises from decisions that have been taken by the movement about itself over a number of decades.”
The ANC nationally was forced to to co-opt opposition parties including its long-time arch-rival, the Democratic Alliance and formed a Government of National Unity (GNU) following the May 29 general elections.
In the May 29 general elections, the ANC received its worst election result since apartheid ended 30 years ago in South Africa. The ANC garnered 40% of the vote, losing its absolute majority in Parliament.
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