Elections-only membership worries ANC
Scathing report says party 'flat-footed' by state-capture debate
ANC members are being recruited to serve as voting cows at the national conference in two weeks' time - because membership drops drastically in years when there are no leadership elections.
This is according to a draft of the organisational report prepared by secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, which revealed that the party's membership figures peak around the time of its national conference.
This means a large chunk of ANC members become inactive when there is no election, so the party becomes invisible on the ground. This has led to the party failing to detect unrest brewing in communities over the lack of service delivery.
It also means that the new members recruited have minimal political education and are easily influenced by party strongmen.As a result of the massive increase in membership, Mpumalanga is seen as the kingmaker at the national conference.
The only province in which membership has dropped in the past two years is the Western Cape, which had 49,960 members at the time of the national general council and now has 26,684.
Mantashe's report also warns that the ANC risks being destroyed if it does not deal with state capture. The party cannot be in denial about it when corporate companies are being destroyed for their association with state capture, he reported.
"Established brands such as KPMG and Bell Pottinger have been destroyed instantly for their association with state capture. A huge body of our movement is in denial that state capture is a reality facing our country."
The report says the ANC was left "flat-footed" in the debate on state capture because it was reduced to personal attacks on those seen to be associated with the Guptas.
"The Gupta e-mails that are in the public domain are being debated by society broadly, but our movement is flat-footed on the matter ... There is a risk of the 106-year-old [ANC] brand becoming dented, and ultimately destroyed, while we are procrastinating."
The report was tabled at a national executive committee meeting last month and is to be deliberated on further this weekend...
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