Pandor takes swipe at Ramaphosa, says ANC leaders without solutions are failing the nation

ANC veteran and former International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor says the governing party has lost its glory and is no longer serving the people.

Taking a swipe at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s leadership, Pandor criticised leaders who fail to offer solutions and instead look elsewhere for answers, warning that the people are watching the African National Congress (ANC) with “disdain”, “horror” and “shame”.

She was delivering a lecture during the centenary celebration of former ANC Women’s League president Gertrude Shope on Sunday, where she urged the party to return to its founding values and commit to practical renewal instead of vague rhetoric.

“There is nothing worse in an organisation or in a country than a leader who has no solution. We can’t be asking someone else ‘how do we solve this?’. The people are looking to us to resolve it,” Pandor said, stressing the need for capable, selfless leadership.

“We shouldn’t be talking about renewal in conceptual terms. We must talk about it in practical terms. Comrades, we’re confronting very serious times. All of them require a strong ANC.”

In a frank assessment of the state of the organisation, Pandor said the party had strayed from its original mission.

“We have forgotten that we exist to serve the people, that we exist for the people, and we have lost our glory. Let’s not pretend about it, we have lost it,” she said.

She challenged local ANC branches to take responsibility and be agents of change within their communities.

“There should not be a non-functioning clinic if there’s an ANC branch. There should not be a school without stationery if there is an ANC branch.

''There should not be an area which runs out of water and has crooks delivering water in trucks if there is an active ANC branch. There should not be criminals who steal electricity wiring if we have an ANC branch.”

Calling for branches that are democratic, active, and politically engaged, Pandor said: “We must have branches that respect members, branches that meet regularly, branches that have political discussions, branches that allow everyone to become a member of the ANC.”

Reflecting on her own experience and tensions within the ANC Women’s League, Pandor also urged the party to foster intergenerational cooperation and unity.

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

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za 

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