Naledi Pandor: The ANC has lost its glory and people look at it with 'disdain, horror and shame'

ANC veteran and former International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor has said the party has lost its glory and that South Africans now look at the once-revered liberation movement with "disdain, horror and shame".

Pandor made the remarks while delivering a lecture during the centenary celebration of former ANC Women’s League president Gertrude Shope on Sunday.

Shope, who died in May this year was former Member of Parliament and veteran activist. She would have turned 100 this month.

“Ma’ Shope would have been dismayed at our faltering progress,” Pandor said. 

“She was a keen observer of our country’s development over the past 30 years of democracy, and noted several advances which I sometimes had the opportunity to discuss with her - advances in education, science, innovation and technology, in growing our international trade, and in improving access to basic social services.”

However, Pandor said Shope would also have been deeply troubled by widespread corruption and the erosion of values among leaders.

“She knew of the corruption that has dragged down the revolutionary morality of our leaders. She was aware of our failures at local government level and of the inadequate capacity to serve, which is so prevalent in our public service,” Pandor said.

“She was keenly aware of the decline of her beloved organisation, the African National Congress (ANC) - a decline not just in electoral outcomes but also in the party’s ability to reflect the values of leadership and commitment to serve the people.”

She called on women in the movement to rise and reclaim the ANC’s historic mission, after the ANC experienced a decline in support losing its parliamentary majority for the first time in May 2024.

The ANC's loss led to the formation of a Government of National Unity (GNU), which has been fraught with tensions, especially between the ANC and former opposition parties such as the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+).

“Now, having suffered from being called an ‘old woman’ by ANC members, I really hope we create value out of intergenerational cooperation. Older women have a great deal to offer, young women have a great deal to offer - and working together, we would be a strong force.”

Pandor said Shope would have insisted that the ANC, its Women’s League, and the Youth League need selfless, committed members who prioritise service to the people above all else.

“Comrades, this is our biggest fault line,” she said. 

She also warned against leaders who put personal interests above the organisation, undermining its revolutionary traditions.

“We have forgotten that we exist to serve the people. We need to bring that back - by scrutinising our leaders carefully, and ensuring that if they fail in their duties, we hold them to account, no matter their position.”

She added that Shope would have stressed the importance of revolutionary morality and genuine renewal.

“We shouldn’t be talking about renewal in abstract terms. We must talk about it practically. We need branches that respect members, meet regularly, hold political discussions, and allow everyone to become members of the ANC.

“I believe she would say: it is possible, comrades, to arrest the slide. It is possible to restore our lost glory. And we have lost our glory… let’s not pretend about it. The people are looking at us with disdain. The people are looking at us with horror and shame.”

Pandor likened the task of renewal to scrubbing a burnt pot.

“It’s like that pot at home when you’ve burnt the cabbage. If you use the sponge scourer, that blackness won’t go away. But if you use the hard one, the copper wire - you will get rid of it. We need that kind of renewal.”

She said Shope would have urged the ANC to go back to the branches.

“When you have strong branches, you have a strong ANC. And she would say: alongside those strong branches, let us have active members in service to the communities in which we organise.”

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

IOL Politics