ANC Veteran's League president Snuki Zikalala has slammed the proposal by branches that members over 65 years old should not be eligible for the party's top structure.
The proposal is in the final list of proposed constitutional amendments to be tabled at the ANC's national conference in December. They refer to who may join, lead and under which circumstances a serving or new member could be excluded.
The proposals contained in the 73-page document also relate to the party discipline and number of NEC members among others.
Zikalala said the proposal was rejected at the weekend by the national executive committee which convened a three-day meeting in Nasrec, the venue of the national conference in just under a month.
“All South Africans above the age of 65 years shall enjoy full membership rights except being voted for in positions of leadership,” the proposal reads.
Zikalala labelled the proposal as “ageist” and anti-ANC.
“It’s what was discussed on Sunday and was rejected. If you’re above 65 and are very active, you don’t have to be excluded. Our brains are still sharp. It’s unacceptable. The ANC is not about ageism and not about getting rid of senior people.
“All organisations have senior people who are still very active. Branches have missed the point and we think branches have to go back and rethink this. It’s very unfair. Some of us over 65 still feel like we’re in our prime and we can still do a lot more for the organisation and society. Those who are still fit as a fiddle must be given space,” Zikalala said.
Should the amendment be accepted at conference, Zikalala, who is 71 years old, will be excluded.
This would include many other NEC members such as President Cyril Ramaphosa, who turned 70 yesterday (Thursday), Cogta minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, 73, and former health minister Zweli Mkhize, 66, who are all vying for the top job in the ANC.
Other proposals include writing the step-aside rule into the party constitution in the hope that it would strengthen its enforcement. The document proposes creating a second ANC deputy secretary-general post, increasing the youth quota to 30% in leadership positions and that disciplinary matters must be finalised in six months.
Other proposals are that membership should not be automatic and everyone should reapply after the conference, with the possibility that their application could be automatically rejected if the member has been convicted of certain offences.
The proposals call for the automatic exclusion to membership of anyone found guilty of murder, rape or armed robbery; “any other offence containing an element of serious violence, or any other sexual offence in the Sexual Offences Act or [that] may lead to listing in the sex register”.
Those convicted of offences containing physical violence or abuse relating to women, children, disabled or LGBTQIA persons; drug trafficking or human trafficking or trafficking in wildlife or money laundering or racketeering, or any offence including the involvement of an organised crime syndicate or gang would also be excluded.
Those guilty of cases relating to dishonesty and cases of a serious nature because of the amount involved or because the money destined for a project catering for the poor, unemployed, vulnerable or the marginalised in society or because the perpetrator was an elected ANC leader or a public representative or a civil servant or a person in a position of trust or authority who is or was an ANC member would not be allowed to join the party.
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