27 March 2023
The ANC Parliamentary Caucus convened its last Lekgotla for the 6th term of Parliament on 24 – 26 March 2023 at Birchwood hotel in Gauteng. The Lekgotla was convened under the ANC theme for 2023: ‘The Year of Decisive Action to Advance the People’s Interests and Renew our Movement’.
The Caucus Lekgotla was convened to focus the attention of the ANC in Parliament on the programme that needs to be carried out in the remaining months of the life of the 6th Parliament.
The urgency with which the Caucus has to respond to the people’s interests requires a concrete programme of action that can be measured, monitored and evaluated as being both in and for the people’s interests.
The Caucus resolved to focus on priority legislation, oversight and servicing our constituencies with the parliamentary constituency offices (PCOs) as centres of following up service delivery challenges faced by communities with various government executives at local, provincial and national levels.
ANC National Officials represented by President Cyril Ramaphosa, Deputy President Paul Mashatile and Secretary General Fikile Mbalula indicated to the Lekgotla that the nation is looking to the ANC to provide them with solutions to the hardships caused by the high cost of living, load shedding, the impact of climate change, crime and corruption, poor delivery of basic services and inefficient local government.
The people are also looking to the ANC to navigate an uncertain, rapidly changing world and geo-political conditions that hold many risks and possibilities for the country.
The National Officials called upon the ANC Parliamentary Caucus to ensure that Parliament plays an activist and developmental role in accelerating fundamental social and economic transformation. They reminded the Lekgotla that revolutionaries, by their nature and conduct, are selfless members of society and that Caucus members are elected to live a life of service to the people, and that the Freedom Charter remains the Lighthouse of our nation’s destiny, a reliable compass of our revolutionary struggle.
They also called on ANC MPs to exercise maximum organisational discipline in performing their duties in both Houses of Parliament and avoid distractions by some opposition parties. The Officials also informed the Lekgotla that an NEC task team has been established to look at the model of coalition governments.
The Lekgotla resolved that ANC MPs will do more work in and amongst constituencies, taking up the issues of concern to those communities and holding regular feedback sessions with the people.
They will also use constituency work to reconnect with the masses, understand their challenges, work with all stakeholders to find local solutions and communicate the programmes of government.
ANC MPs will also ensure that the transformative programme of the ANC finds expression in the programme of Parliament and is given life through the debates, members’ statements and parliamentary oversight.
The ANC Parliamentary Caucus will ensure that budgets are spent in a planned manner with priority given to services, infrastructure, jobs, fighting crime and the development of communities.
In this regard, ANC MPs will continuously capacitate and empower themselves by studying and learning to master their areas of deployment.
ANC MPs pledged to maintain high standards of ethics, remain humble and selfless and work hard to change people’s lives for the better.
The ANC Caucus concluded the Lekgotla with a reignited dedication and commitment to take decisive action to advance people’s interests and renew the movement.
The Caucus Lekgotla also observed a moment of silence for three fallen cadres of the movement, Moosa ‘Mosie’ Moolla, Siphiwo Mazosiwe and Jabu Mathe.
Issued by the Office of the Chief Whip Comrade Pemmy Majodina (MP)
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