The African National Congress’ (ANC’s) controversial step-aside rule is set to be the subject of debate on Thursday, as the party’s 55th national conference is faced with re-confirming the resolution taken by its 2017 conference.
The reconvened conference is currently taking place virtually across the provinces where delegates have gathered at designated venues, after it ran out of time to deal with policy matters when they gathered at Nasrec in December.
They are expected to adopt additional measures that will tighten up its step-aside rule, which was a point of contestation in the lead-up to this conference.
Several members challenged the rule which threatened to impact them standing for election to the party’s national executive.
The ANC is on a mission to renew itself, and to prove that the integrity of its members is paramount, and with that in mind, it says the party can not expect the electorate to trust in it when it deploys members charged with serious crimes.
In a draft resolution on organizational renewal, delegates recommended that the National Executive Committee (NEC) ensure the step-aside rule is implemented uniformly, consistently, and fairly, and to safeguard it from being used to fight factional battles.
The party says members who are charged with a crime should step-aside voluntarily, and not wait for the party to ask them to do so.
Delegates are proposing that the situation of those who have stepped aside, be reviewed every six months.
The ANC’s integrity commission and its disciplinary committees will thus be expected to speed up hearings, and set deadlines for investigating cases.
The draft resolution reads that the ANC should also publicly dissociate with those who are corrupt or commit serious crimes.
It’s also being proposed that where the step-aside rule has been abused whether by false accusation or malicious prosecution, that those identified, should be sanctioned.
-EWN
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