The Big Read: We can't ignore #WeAreANC

Along with the ANC's 105th birthday celebrations this year, it will hold a consultative conference, a policy conference and a national conference.

The events will address the many challenges identified by past and present leaders of the ANC, the mass democratic formations, and our alliance partners.

January represents to the ANC a time to refocus the organisation and its leadership. This approach has been the bedrock of the ANC's coherence in driving a common programme based upon a common interpretation of the challenges we face.

The celebrations provide a call to action to deal with apartheid's legacy: unemployment, poverty and inequality. In addition, the ANC is duty bound to deal with concerns raised recently by its members, supporters and members of society.

The mixed reaction to the ANC's 105 birthday celebrations on social media - expressed via the #WeAreANC platform - demands a humble response. We will listen to every issue raised, as part of the ANC's responsibility to lead society.

Our resolve over the years was shaped by listening to advice, views and counsel from members, alliance partners, comrades and friends who fought the fascist apartheid regime.

Perhaps the trending reaction to our call for people to engage us ahead of the January 8 celebrations could be read as a reminder of the commitments we have made to the people.

We have taken note of the issues raised - problems such as corruption, factionalism, disunity, a lack of addressing issues raised by society - as dangers problematic to the realisation of the national democratic revolution.

We should not worry about the number of people who wrote tweets complaining about things happening under the ANC-led government. However, we should understand each of the tweets in order for us to do better by implementing ANC policies as described in the ANC's constitution.

These include organisational matters and respecting the constitution of the country concerning matters of the state.

All ANC members must, as a matter of serving society, put people first, and prioritise the implementation of the ANC manifesto - which is to ensure a better life for our people, reduce high costs of living where the ANC leads, and resolve issues raised by the people.

Doing the right thing concerning governance and leading society - which means responding to issues raised against the ANC from within and from outside - will make the ANC a better organisation.

We cannot afford political arrogance of any proportion. All of us must be alert to the reality that being a member and leader of the ANC is a responsibility to serve society more than anything else. Those who serve society cannot respond to these concerns with arrogance.

Wherever we are, in North West, the Western Cape, the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, the Free State, the Northern Cape and Gauteng, we must use the leadership positions we have been elected to in the ANC and in government to hasten developing our communities. We must transform society for our people to access socioeconomic opportunities to obtain the better life we promise them.

It is clear that what society demands from us - through the reaction to #WeAreANC - is for us to implement our resolutions, policies, and commitments. It is about realising a better life for all our people: the youth, women, the working class, entrepreneurs, the business community and other sections of South African society.

If we do this, the response to future January 8 celebrations will give testimony to the good work done by the ANC government in the majority - and not in the minority, as experienced on the #WeAreANC platform for this year's celebrations.

Each ANC member has a duty to ensure that we use our duties and responsibilities enshrined in the ANC constitution to give effect to the better life we committed to bring to our people. We must work in partnership with them so that the sons and daughters of the masses of our people don't go to bed hungry because they don't have jobs and business opportunities.

Under the ANC our people must prosper. They must enjoy the fruits of the freedom many sacrificed their lives for. In the year of the elective national conference, we must be alert to this reality and the need to hasten delivering on our commitments without fail.

Mashatile is the ANC Gauteng chairman