Johannesburg - With the elective conference coming up in December, the race for the top-six positions of the ANC has just gained impetus with the announcement by a flamboyant former Cabinet minister that has thrown his hat in the ring to emerge as the next secretary-general.
On the back of a very colourful CV and body of work in the organisation and government, Malusi Gigaba is convinced he is the right man for the job. “I have the pedigree of the SG,” he says, ticking off the boxes.
The position of Secretary-General of the ANC calls for a man – or woman – of strong character, a leader in his own right who will not be a lackey and Gigaba strongly believes that he possesses those qualities. He says the SG should be someone with the ear of the [party] President and that it will help if the two have a strong rapport between them. He cites the examples of the comradely and symbiotic relationship as obtained between OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo, Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe and “in the early years", Jacob Zuma and Gwede Mantashe.
Schooled in the politics of the ANC, Gigaba, a former leader of the Congress of South African Students (Cosas) and President of the ANC Youth League (ANCYL waxes lyrical about the dynamics of the SG-President relationship and how its rude health augurs well for a functioning party, and by extension, State.
“First and foremost, the ANC needs an SG who is going to be there. One of the things that have been lacking, among the weaknesses of the movement in the last five years, is that the SG only served virtually half of the term. For the rest of the term, the SG has been on a step aside and was not available, which created a dilemma for the head office."
The incumbent, who Gigaba is determined not to call by name, is Ace Magashule, currently suspended.
“The SG is the head of administration of an organisation. He must have a complete national sense of the ANC.” The idea of the lay of the land the SG must have, according to Gigaba, begins with winning the elections “decisively”. He adds: “This should be the principal mandate for the next 18 months.”
The SG must ensure the ties with the ruling parties in BRICS are strong and he should be active in forging these relations for the benefit of the country. Gigaba says the position is not just a menial organisational one. “It is politically significant. You are like the chief executive of the organisation,” he says of the job he’s eying.
Try as he might, it is not easy to be modest for a man who has served the Cabinet variously as Minister of Home Affairs, Public Enterprises and Finance, among other roles. “I’ve been in the NEC for 26 years now. That gives you that insight into the movement. I’ve served under four sitting Presidents and an equal number of Secretary-Generals. That has given me insight into how the organisation is run. One is then able to draw lessons from the preceding Secretary-Generals.”
He is adamant the office that was left to Magashule to run sorely needs the advantage of new energy and youthfulness. “At the same time begin to bring in new dynamics in terms of young [thinking] and reform of the organisation. And this includes leading the ANC towards a repositioning. The ANC must influence the government more, and therefore be able to create a connection between the two. What that requires is someone who has both skills. My advantage is that I have served in government previously for 14 years.
I have been in the NEC for 26 years, and during that period, I worked full-time. For eight years as President of the ANCYL and as a functionary of the ANC at head office. That blend of skill in the organisation and government gives me the edge to understand better what it requires to make sure the decisions of the NEC, and the national conference, the Makgotla, are then permeated into the programs of government.”
Speaking to Gigaba, one gets the sense that his mantra is “to execute ANC policies”, something he repeats again and again later. “There is that importance of sustenance of ANC policies.”
He is vocal on the policy nexus between party and State and this is likely to endear him to the hearts of many who have lamented the poor rate of implementation of conference resolutions.
Policy discontinuity is a sore point for Gigaba. “The SG plays a huge role in this,” he says. But there’s a starting point: “You have to make sure that the ANC wins the elections, and wins convincingly. You have to ensure the organisational machinery is ready for the elections. Not in 2024 but immediately after the conference. It [the office of the SG] has to start galvanising the voter base of the ANC to be ready to vote. The SG is the overall head of the organisation. The work assigned to various sector heads is in support of the overall responsibility of the SG.”
At 51 he thinks age is on his side. He has the energy. “Age plays a crucial role in assisting us to give impetus to the functions of the movement. “
The way he speaks of the office makes it a vital cog in the ANC. He says the SG “has to ensure that all those structures exist, are headed by capable people, and are supported by admin capacity. The overall leadership is given by the SG, which is why I say it is not a small administrative responsibility. It is a political responsibility”.
Once elections are won, Gigaba says, the SG ensures there is ‘a connect’ (sic) between the ANC sub-committees and the new administration and the programs it is going to implement. “It is the SG who will monitor the work done,” he says.
The current energy crisis should not be seen as some technical engineering issue. He says. He breaks it down to the simplicity of how it affects the ANC electorate: “Various ANC programs have been discussed, but not implemented. As a result of which we are experiencing running continuous load shedding. The key is that Eskom has got to be fixed. Don’t break it down. People don’t vote for the ANC on the basis of its track record or factional battles. People vote for the ANC on the basis of the programs implemented that better their lives.”
There is high unemployment, Gigaba says. “ Nasrec decided on the nationalisation of the Reserve Bank, among others. Why has that not happened? That is not the sole responsibility of the Minister concerned. It is the SG who has to report to the NEC on these gaps.”
He makes other examples on a variety of subjects thrashed out at the party level but not implemented, the result of which is the brunt borne by the voter.
As SG, Gigaba says: “You’re the chief whip of the ANC. SG and President must work together for the good of the party. The strength of each individual makes the ANC move strongly forward. It is the SG force that pulls everyone together. The SG must take a very keen interest in reversing the past failures of the party, including declining support. Unite the ANC to take South Africa forward.”
The person who can do all this has to be what he calls “a strong SG” and he believes that’s the profile he fits, snugly.
“From Cabinet to Luthuli House is not a demotion; it’s actually a promotion. The ANC as leader of society needs a certain quality of leaders. Do they possess the correct pedigree to lead the ANC, and implement its policies?
The talk about renewal and rebuilding “must be about core issues affecting people’s lives. Load shedding means robots not working, people being late for work, students not being able to study, and real-life issues.