ANC councillors told to get matric certificates.
Image: Itumeleng English/ANA Studio
The ANC electoral committee has ordered that candidates for councillor positions who do not possess a matric certificate have 12 months to obtain a qualification after being sworn in as councillors.
ANC councillor candidates without matric have been ordered by the party to obtain the qualification within the next 12 months or risk being removed.
The party's electoral committee issued the directive following requests for waivers from the ANC structures for councillors without matric to be considered for deployment. The committee is chaired by former President Kgalema Motlanthe.
The electoral committee stated that those granted the grace period must submit a pledge committing themselves to obtaining the qualification within the stipulated period, warning that if they fail to do so they must be removed from the candidate list.
The Daily News has seen a letter written to the ANC Secretary-General and the Provincial Leadership Committee, who had requested a waiver for councillors without matric certificates. In a letter, the committee stated that, “the electoral committee has received your request for waivers on behalf of candidates without a matric certificate in your province.”
“Upon assessment of your motivation and attached documents, the electoral committee regrets to inform you that none of the candidates qualify for a waiver as contemplated in the rules and the guidelines in the BEC.”
“Your recommendation fails to justify why any of these candidates should be of exceptional attributes on their own and in relation to other available candidates in wards and municipalities,” it stated.
The letter added that the electoral committee has no option but to reject all recommendations for waivers due to unsatisfactory reasons and motivations without merit.
"The electoral committee is cognisant of the looming deadline for the registration of candidates with the IEC, and it is on this basis that the electoral committee may grant a grace period as a conditional waiver for candidates without matric qualifications."
It stated that candidates must commit to acquiring a matric qualification or an accredited qualification at NQF Level 4 or higher within 12 months of being an ANC councillor. They must also submit a written and signed pledge for this purpose to the electoral committee through the PLC.
“Candidates who do not submit the written and signed pledge through the PLC by 17:00 on August 25 must be immediately removed and replaced on the candidate list,” said the letter. The ANC national office had not responded to requests for comment.
Political analyst Professor Musa Xulu said this move was important for the party, stating that for some time the ANC has been wanting councillor candidates to have matric and above.
“Even the President of the ANC, in his LGE Manifesto address, emphasised skills and education for ANC councillor candidates. The Secretary-General even boasted on Saturday that some of the mayoral candidates were PhD holders. This new move is bound to set a limit to populist politics at local level. However, it cannot happen overnight as the tradition of populist politics has long been set.
“Giving the non-matric holders a grace period may work, but some of these candidates hardly have any qualifications beyond primary school. Members may have to accept these conditions and improve their qualifications for the good of society. Limited education becomes problematic when it comes to reading and interpreting municipal documents which are often high level,” he said.
