The ANC wants to put more power in Zuma’s hands
The ANC has given a brief overview of the planned direction of its policy conference – including new political offices in Parliament, and giving the president more power in government.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the party said that the complexities of governing across three spheres of government, and state-owned companies, the ‘strategic center of power’ should be with the presidency.
“The Presidency must be strengthened to drive the implementation of the NDP (National Development Plan), align planning and policy, resource allocation and enforcement,” the party said.
“The aim here is to improve the alignment and integration of policies and development across the spheres and sectors of government.”
Shifting more power into the hands of the presidency is not entirely new, however – In August 2016, the government set up the Presidential State Owned Companies (SOCs) Coordinating Council, which gives president Jacob Zuma ‘strategic oversight’ of the country’s SOEs.
The ANC now wants this power extended to the provincial level as well.
To achieve this, the ANC wants to establish a Presidential commission on provinces, which will “review the alignment of powers of functions of all three spheres of government”, with a specific focus on provincial roles and responsibilities.
In the same statement, the ANC acknowledged the country’s deepening corruption crisis, including the extent that corruption has taken root within the public sectors and SOEs.
The party argued that the only way to address this crisis is to review and restructure government so that it can be unified in direction across all spheres.
In addition to this, the party wants to introduce new political offices to Parliament, to “strengthen its instutional structure”.
One such new role is a “chief whip of Parliament”, the party said.
Meanwhile, deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa dismissed suggestions that the ruling party is headed for a split.
Ramaphosa said in a lexture in Rustenburg on Sunday, that he told ratings agency Moody’s last week: “We are not going to allow the ANC to split.”
“Moody’s said to me the signs that we are looking at now is that they think ANC is going to split,” said Ramaphosa.
“I said the ANC will not split because it has the responsibility to unite the people of our country and the ANC itself has its own responsibility of staying united.”
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