Ronald Lamola says he believes ‘meritocracy’ should be the way to renew the ANC

He believes it is time for the ANC to start discussing issues around this matter.

ANC NEC member Ronald Lamola has asked that “meritocracy” should be the system that is applied when renewing the ANC.

This system will see ANC leaders being elected on the basis of their demonstrated abilities and merit.

He also calls for a “generational mix” as part of the party’s succession plans – where the youth will be positioned towards taking over key positions in the ANC and state. “Responsibility at a younger age injects more energy and allows the organisation to innovate and take a direction that will continue to revolutionise society,” Lamola said.

Lamola told Daily Maverick that even China’s ruling party, CPC or Communist Party of China had similar problems as the ANC and decided to employ “meritocracy” as part of its renewal programme and that changed the country for the better.

Lamola said the meritocratic system has a “clear succession programme” and it identifies “younger and competent leaders” to take charge of society.

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“I do think that [in] 25 years into democracy the generation which fought for the struggle for freedom have played their role. Now we need to transition to a programme of succession based on meritocracy, which is clearly outlined in the Through the Eye of the Needle document,” Lamola said.

He has hinted he will contest the position of deputy president at the party’s 55th congress in December 2022. Also incumbent David Mabuza and acting secretary-general Paul Mashatile are also said to be eyeing the post.

The deputy president contest is set to once more divide the Mpumalanga ANC that is fresh from an elective congress after a 4-year long period of intense infighting and failure to convene a conference as comrades wrestled one another over positions since Mabuza left the province to be deputy president.

Mpumalanga’s RET forces have hinted they will support Mabuza while President Cyril Ramaphosa’s camp led by his ally, provincial chair Mandla Ndlovu, is bidding for Lamola.

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It’s still not clear if the RET camp will support Ramaphosa’s bid for re-election but the RET’s Lindiwe Ntshalintshali – provincial deputy secretary Lindiwe Ntshalintshali – said the province will pronounce when the succession debate is opened. She said “Mabuza knows we have an appointment with him”.

Lamola said it was not okay that some of them find themselves in the NEC by “accident” – that the ANC fails to establish a concrete succession programme.

“There should be a clear programme for the younger generation that must be mentored by the older generation,” he said.

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The system of meritocracy had been the idea behind former President Thabo Mbeki’s ANC but was defeated when a populist segment of the party led by former President Jacob Zuma took over power in December 2007. They argued that branches should exercise their rights and choose anyone they want at the expense of merit.

But Lamola says it’s important how the ANC handles its succession programme and how candidates get promoted to positions.

“We need to talk about the candidates of the people that we need to carry us forward into the next process of the transition. That transition is where we are right now,” he said.

He added that he supports Ramaphosa and that Ramaphosa is just the man fit to renew the ANC.

“Ramaphosa has helped us to renew and build state institutions in our democracy,” he said, “and which is something that South Africa demanded”.

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Lamola said things have definitely turned around since Ramaphosa took over as President. “We are in that state now and we can say we have turned things around on our institutions of democracy. The biggest challenge we are faced with is the state of the economy, which is not growing. But as you are aware, all the economic plans were affected by Covid-19 across the globe and as we were dealing with the economic recovery plan we are now in the Russia-Ukraine war which has affected the price of petrol across the globe which will cause inflation,” he said.

(edited by ZK)

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