26/05/2023
*RECLAIMING THE CIVIC MOVEMENT*
*THE UNITY OF SANCO IS SACROSANCT*
*26 MAY 2026*
*Mzwanele Mayekiso*
*A GOOD STORY TO TELL:*
*THE FS PICC AND THE UNITY OF SANCO*
The story about the unity of SANCO in the Free State through the *FS PICC* is a great story to tell about the process to bring back hope to our communities which were affected by serious development challenges while their *Organ of Popular Power* was conflicted rendering townships and villages helpless and disorganized in the face of under-development.
In this sense the *FS PICC* is working hard to rebuild SANCO and the brave effort has to be commended.
Amazing work comrades.
Those who were not part of the setup of the FS PICC, even when they were invited cannot hope to pull back progress to accommodate their egos.
They can be part of the PICC because it is an open vehicle, but they cannot revisit the structural setup as it current pertains.
The FS PICC, by its very name suggests that it is a temporary measure to lay the ground for the Provincial Conference which will be held in due course; in which all those deserving of leadership of a democratic organisation will be eligible to stand to be *elected on unelected.*
There are no guarantees in a democratic organisational process.
The *WC PICC* is being launched tomorrow, following closely on the FS PICC tracks.
SANCO will no longer be used as a *private company or fiefdom* by corrupt individuals who captured our brand name for personal benefit and self aggrandizement.
The SANCO brand name belongs to its owners, the membership which represents South African communities, not *individuals and their families*.
The SANCO brand name will not be privatized.
To these *counter revolutionary* elements, SANCO cannot be united without them in position of leadership so that they can continue to extort businesses and hold to ransom the democratic state by demanding positions in the various levels of government for themselves, their friends and to disburse patronage to their followers.
These individuals hope to resist unity as long it doesn't benefit their corrupt intentions.
This undemocratic tendency cannot be allowed fester any longer than it has up to now; because it is demonic in its imposition on SANCO, thus it cannot be allowed to thrive and stand in the way of community development and progress.
Well..., their time is up because the *founders* are back to reclaim their organisation, put corrective measures in place that refocus the civic movement under a duly elected leadership of SANCO back to its original development mission for which it was launched.
SANCO is on the road to unity and no individual is going to be assured of a position or post before they can submit to the *unity process* and prove to the membership the value they bring to a revived and unified SANCO.
*SANCO is a People Centered democratic Organ of People's Power*, it therefore, cannot be turned into a private fiefdom to serve personal and individual interests as has been the case for the past few years.
It is not a traditional institution where individuals become leaders without providing the *reasons as to why they should lead*-- to the membership of SANCO do that they are voted into and out of leadership.
Everyone, without exception, will have to convince the membership of SANCO, the true owners of the organisation, as to why they should be elected into any post of leadership in the civic movement.
Between now and the National Conference of SANCO, every individual who may have ambitions of serving our communities, *not themselves and their families* will submit to *will of the people* to be *elected or unelected.*
So, what is done now through the *SANCO NICC Unity Initiative* lays the groundwork for relevant individuals who prove their commitment to the *vision and mission* of the civic movement; which is that of building and developing our communities and deepening our democracy.
We appreciate the work of the *FS PICC*, and we look forward to setting up *PICCs* and *RICCs* and perhaps *LICCs* in every province region and local in the country.
The LICCs are critical because SANCO moved away from the traditional township based structure of organizing civics to the government system of *Wards*, *Voter Districts (VDs)*, etc.
This development was rather unfortunate as the civics were demobilised by the new approach.
This development happened soon after 1996, perhaps in the 2000s; when democratic local government was promulgated without any relevant organisational science helping with such strategic decision making except for a leadership decision based on impulsive politics.
Such un-informed decisions became a critical aspect of the demobilisation of the civic movement among many that allowed SANCO to be moribund organizationally.
It is therefore critical that a revived SANCO goes back to the basics of organisational development based on the *township or suburb as a unit* of the civic, with the street committees, block committees, and yard committees being an integral part- anchors -- of the reorganization of civics.
This is how we will rebuild a firm foundation for the civic movement; which will ensure that it is never high- jacked by the *Johnny's come lately* who carry no history of having been involved in the struggle for freedom; and who show no sign or interest of learning and leading our people towards a development discourse that empowers our communities.
The only strength which these characters possess is that of *Political Entryism*: in this case, one takes advantage of the open system of civics, slithering themselves into positions of authorities using *sweet tongue and political manipulation* of organizational processes.
Once in the coveted positions of authority through nefarious methods, they begin to usurp organisational traditions and culture, repurposing the civics for personal benefits.
These wayward individuals will not and cannot succeed this time around and they should not be given space to confuse us with their * forked silver tongues* refocusing our attention away from the unity process to their divisive mechanics that seek to retain them in positions of authority through *intimidation* and telling outright lies about the current *unity process* under the leadership of *civic founders* -- the SANCO NICC.
They hide behind the *SANCO Constitution* to entrench themselves, wrongly interpreting various clauses to fit their interests.
The founders developed the constitution, and they added the clause of a *National Conference* in which the constitution is revisited by the owners to give it more currency, fresh meaning and relevance for the next period.
In an environment where SANCO didn't have legitimate national conferences, for the past +- 7 years; it means that no one is in any legitimate position to be shoving the constitution in our faces, to justify the vaunted positions that they occupy illegally-- to intimidate us.
They don't even have the authority to expel people from SANCO, when they already expelled themselves by failing to host a constitutionally mandated conference to derive a fresh mandate from the owners of the civic movement, the members.
The *FS PICC* is a good example of a servant leadership that refuses to be intimidated by self imposed factional leaders who keep writing illegal expulsion letters to dedicated SANCO members, for daring to see the light🚦away from factional politics towards the unity process as led by the founders through the *SANCO NICC.*
If SANCO is as divided and full of imposter leaders, it is good to have *the founders* dedicating serious time to its revival so that this organisation of communities can reclaim its historic space and role in rebuilding not only our communities, but deepening our democracy and renewing the Liberation Movement, so that the revolutionary alliance continues to lead South Africa's development discourse.
*Long Live the Unity process*
And, down with *Political Entryism and lntimidation.*
*...forward ever, back never...*
Indeed, *...the unity of SANCO cannot be delayed any longer...!*
