How To Deploy An ANC Cadre In 3 Easy Steps, And The Traits They Should Have

Brave new times require brave new cadres — in government, in business, in civic society and international arenas — and this is one of the topics that will be up for discussion at the ANC's policy conference in June.

According to the ANC's discussion document entitled "Organisational Renewal and Organisational Design", of which Huffington Post has obtained an early copy, not much progress by way of political and academic programmes has been made four years into what the ANC declared "A decade of a cadre".

These are the steps of deployment:

1. Before deploying a cadre, there should be "systematic intellectual, ideological and ethical training and political preparation", as well as a "rigorous system of monitoring and evaluation of cadres deployed and elected to leadership positions," the document says.
2. "Leading must be reserved for the best cadres and (most) well-trained combatants among us," it says, so there must be a process of screening.
3. Once the branches have proposed candidates, the views of communities should also be canvassed in the same way as with the election of councillors and mayoral candidates. "This new approach therefore will result in the withering away of membership bulk buying and manipulation of branches and for the ANC to reconnect with the masses of our people," it says.

This is what the party wants its "new cadres" to look like:

1. Informed and ideologially grounded: "The new cadre should be able to understand and appreciate the ideological orientation, policies and political programmes of the African National Congress," it says.
2. Rooted amongst the people and serving the people: "Such a cadre must be rooted amongst the masses, and yet, the lifestyle and the intellectual depth must serve as an inspiration to the masses of the people that s/he, through the ANC, represents a better future for the country. Such a cadre must earn the respect of the community as a leader of society. His outlook and lifestyle choices must represent the values of the African National Congress at all times."
3. Must be an ANC organiser and a teacher: "This cadre has to be a magnet for new members of the organisation. Such a cadre must also have a foresight, of identifying new members in the community and recruit them. Within the organisation, such a cadre needs to create an empowering environment for political nurturing of the new members," it reads.
4. Loyal and disciplined: "The envisaged cadre will at all times subject himself to the collective decision of the organisation," it reads. This person must be disciplined and when their view is defeated, "such cadre must adhere at all times to the collective decision of the organisation. He/she will pursue the implementation of any decision with vigour and commitment, even though, he may have held a dissenting voice. Where there are threats or challenges in the implementation of whatever decision, that cadre should have courage to advise the collective, without apportion blame to those comrades whom he differed with. The cadre will desist (from) and expose negative traits of nepotism, factionalism and pursuit of material interests at the expense of the organisation."
5. Be anti-corruption and anti-crime: This person must be "the first point of call in the fight against corruption" and those who are corrupt must be brought to book. "The cadre must instill in his belief that corruption is ultimately looting, a behaviour undertaken by lumpens with a sole purpose of stealing public resources and thus subjecting our people to the vicious cycle of poverty and underdevelopment."