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Research Report 124 Positioning Civil Society Post- Polokwane: Coming

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Research Report 124 Positioning Civil Society Post- Polokwane: Coming Positioning Civil Society Post- Polokwane: Coming to Terms with ANC Political Leadership Changes Maxine Reitzes, Centre for Policy Studies Research Associate Fiona White , Centre for Policy Studies Senior Researcher Research report 124 Research report 124 Positioning Civil Society Post-Polokwane: Coming to Terms with ANC Political Leadership Changes Maxine Reitzes, Centre for Policy Studies Research Associate Fiona White, Senior Researcher Centre for Policy Studies Johannesburg April 2010 This report is funded by the Ford Foundation and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. POSITIONING CIVIL SOCIETY POST-POLOKWANE: COMING TO TERMS WITH ANC POLITICAL LEADERSHIP CHANGES The Centre for Policy Studies is an independent research institution, incorporated as an association not for gain under Section 21 of the Companies Act. The Ford Foundation and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation generously provided the funding for this research work. However, the views expressed in this report are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the donors Centre for Policy Studies 1st Floor Maths Centre 28 Juta Street Braamfontein Johannesburg, South Africa P O Box 1933 Parklands 2121 Johannesburg, South Africa Tel (011) 403-4001 Fax (011) 403-4026 e-mail: [email protected] www.cps.org.za ISBN 978-1-920408-09-1 3 POSITIONING CIVIL SOCIETY POST-POLOKWANE: COMING TO TERMS WITH ANC POLITICAL LEADERSHIP CHANGES Table of Contents LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS .........................................................................................6 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................8 1.1. Structure of the report .................................................................................................... 9 1.2. Research method ............................................................................................................ 9 1.3. Clarifications and caveats .............................................................................................. 10 2. THE ANC: 1990 – 2007 .................................................................................................... 12 2.1. 1990 - 2009: Historical influences and experiences of the ANC ................................... 12 2.2. The internal structures and processes of the ANC ........................................................ 15 2.3. Mbeki’s ascent to the presidency .................................................................................. 17 2.3.1 Mbeki in office: modernisation and bureaucratisation .............................................. 20 3. THE ANC AND CIVIL SOCIETY : HISTORICALLY AND DURING THE TRANSITION ................................... 24 3.1. The ANC and civil society relations during apartheid .................................................... 24 3.2. The ANC and civil society during the transition ............................................................ 26 3.2.1 The ANC and its relationship with civil society ............................................................ 27 3.2.2 Civil society and its relationship to the ANC ............................................................... 29 3.3. 1996 ............................................................................................................................... 31 4. THE ANC, THE ALLIANCE , AND CIVIL SOCIETY UNDER MBEKI ........................................................ 33 4.1 The relationships between the ANC and civil society ......................................................... 34 4.1.1 The historical nature of the ANC and its impact on the ANC government .................. 35 4.1.2 The imperatives of a modern political party ................................................................ 39 4.1.3 Mbeki’s ANC policy choices .......................................................................................... 41 4.1.4 The nature of the ANC’s engagement with civil society: strategies of inclusion and exclusion ................................................................................................................................ 42 4.1.5 Mbeki’s personal history and psychology .................................................................... 46 4.1.6 Caveats and consequences .......................................................................................... 49 4.2. The relationships between civil society and the ANC ........................................................ 52 4.2.1 Perceptions and experiences of Mbeki administration’s approach to civil society ..... 53 4.2.2 Civil society responses.................................................................................................. 57 5. THE ANC AND CIVIL SOCIETY POST -POLOKWANE ........................................................................ 65 5.1 Pre-Polokwane and Polokwane ........................................................................................... 65 5.1.1 Events leading up to the ANC’s Elective National Conference .................................... 65 5.1.2 Effect on alliance members ......................................................................................... 67 5.2 The Polokwane Conference ................................................................................................. 67 5.2.1 Populism and process................................................................................................... 72 5.2.2 The Zuma-ANC and civil society relations .................................................................... 74 4 POSITIONING CIVIL SOCIETY POST-POLOKWANE: COMING TO TERMS WITH ANC POLITICAL LEADERSHIP CHANGES 5.2.3 CSO’s responses to the ‘new’ ANC ............................................................................... 82 5.2.4 Zuma’ personal history and psychology ...................................................................... 83 5.3 Implications for engagement between civil society and the Zuma ANC ............................. 85 5.3.1 Implications of the ‘new’ ANC for CSOs ....................................................................... 85 5.3.2 Strategies of engagement for civil society. .................................................................. 87 5.3.3 The policy agenda......................................................................................................... 93 6. THE ALLIANCE POST -POLOKWANE ........................................................................................ 94 6.1 COSATU, the SACP and civil society ..................................................................................... 99 7. LOOKING IN: CIVIL SOCIETY STRENGTHS AND CHALLENGES .......................................... 102 7.1 Civil society: 1997-2007 ..................................................................................................... 102 7.1.1 Elements of strength ................................................................................................. 102 7.1.2 Weakening of civil society .......................................................................................... 104 7.2 CSOs post-Polokwane ....................................................................................................... 108 7.2.1 Civil society organisations’ strengths ........................................................................ 109 7.2.2 CSOs’ challenges ........................................................................................................ 109 8. BUSINESS ................................................................................................................... 114 8.1 The ANC and big business pre-and Post Polokwane ......................................................... 116 9. CONCLUSIONS: LOOKING FORWARD: CHANGING LEADERSHIP AND INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT AND REPOSITIONING OF CIVIL SOCIETY ................................................................ 118 9.1 Institutional changes ......................................................................................................... 118 9.2 Is the ANC more amenable to external influence? .......................................................... 120 9.3 How have CSOs repositioned themselves in relation to Polokwane policy and leadership changes? .................................................................................................................................. 121 9.4 The hegemonising influence of civil society ..................................................................... 122 9.5 Strategies for engaging with the ANC............................................................................... 122 Appendix A: List of interviewees ............................................................................................. 123 5 POSITIONING CIVIL SOCIETY POST-POLOKWANE: COMING TO TERMS WITH ANC POLITICAL LEADERSHIP CHANGES LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ABM Abahlali baseMjondolo ALP AIDS Law Project ANC African National Congress ANCYL ANC Youth League APF the Anti-Privatisation Forum BBBEE Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment BEE Black Economic Empowerment CBOs Community based organisations COSATU the Congress of South African Trade Unions CSO Civil Society Organisation ECNGOC Eastern Cape Non-Governmental Organisations Coalition FES Friedrich Ebert Stiftung FOSATU Federation of South African Trade Unions GEAR Growth, Employment and Redistribution Strategy GGLN Global Governance Learning Network GNU Government of National Unity
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