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By ORAPELENG MATSHIDISO

In his political report to the 50^th National Conference of the ANC that was held in Mahikeng in 1997, the former President Nelson Mandela, warned and reminded delegates that the ANC was three years in government, but already its deployees were showing some negative tendencies.

To be specific, President Nelson Mandela had given this observation and called for an urgent intervention and said: “We say this because a number of negative features within the ANC and the broad democratic movement have emerged during the last three years. We have an inescapable responsibility to attend to these matters frankly and decisively in defense of both our movement and our revolution.”

I am of the strong view that, the movement and its leadership has not sufficiently heeded to the call of decisively dealing with deployees who continue to disappoint and undermine  the movement and betray the people’s cause.

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Former President Mandela has further shared with delegates the painful reality of the negative features which engulfed the movement. He had this to say: “One of these negative features is the emergence of careerism within our ranks. Many among our members see their membership of the ANC as a means to advance their personal ambitions to attain positions of power and access to the resource for their own individual gratification.”

Probably had decisive action was long taken against the cancer of careerism and corruption within the ranks and files of the movement, we could have avoided the establishment of the Zondo commission.

It is quite explicit that for a very long time the leadership of the ANC has been giving lip service to a fight against corruption and careerism within the ranks and files.

Now I think that “we have inescapable responsibility to” fight corruption and careerism wherever they raise their ugly heads within the movement, government and the society in general.

Note: Orapeleng Matshidiso is a political activist in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati Region and also a staunch member of the ANC. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of Taung DailyNews.