Mr Themba Godi - APC

THEMBA GODI, was born on 10 August 1966 in a village called Matsabana, near Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga. He is one of the founding members of the African People’s Convention (APC), that was established in 2007.

Political background: My political involvement started at a very early age. In 1983, during my matric year, I was involved in setting up an organisation called the Front for the Liberation of Azania. This organisation was instrumental in organising people in rural areas. I joined the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) while studying at the University of the North (Turfloop Campus) (now known as the University of Limpopo after merging with the Medical University of South Africa). I served this organisation both as an ordinary member and a leader before forming the PAC in 2007.

I graduated from university in 1988 with a teacher’s degree and returned home. I practised teaching until 2000. Thereafter, I became a fulltime organiser for the PAC. I came to Parliament in 2004 and was an ordinary back-bencher sitting in Portfolio Committees such as Trade and Industry, Labour, Social Development, and Education. I became the Chairperson for the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) in February 2005 and continue to occupy this post.

What does my job involve? Parliament is currently seized with passing the budget votes of all government departments. The role of SCOPA is to review expenditure by departments in the past year. The Committee looks at the annual reports, with a particular focus on the financial information. The annual reports give an indication of whether expenditure happens as stipulated in the Public Finance Management Act, Public Service Act and National Treasury regulations. In short, SCOPA is the protector of the public purse; the Committee is tasked with ensuring accountability for the public money.

Although the country is a constitutional democracy, Parliament is at the centre and, thus, the heartbeat of that democracy. It represents the people out there. Since 1994 it has upheld the Constitution and has had to repeal old apartheid laws; enact new laws in line with the Constitution. From towards the end of the third Parliament there was a shift from focusing on legislation towards oversight. Parliament’s responsibility apart from passing legislation is to oversee the work of Government. The quality of oversight is an evolving process and there is room for improvement. Parliament must improve so it could give meaning to the constitutional injunction of overseeing the Executive. There is room for improvement and there is a need for improvement.

Highlights of my constituency work: I serve the Mpumalanga region. My responsibilities include being available to the public, helping to solve problems and reporting back to my constituents on what is happening in Parliament. I also engage with traditional leaders and mining communities, and I raise their concerns in Parliament.

Highlights of Parliament: SCOPA’s work is fulfilling because it directly seeks to give meaning to the freedom that the people have; it seeks to establish if public resources are used to improve the material conditions of people. Chairing the Committee has been the most fulfilling job. But also leading the APC has been a continuous learning process, especially when interacting with people in rural areas. The tendency had been to regard this section of the population as stupid or illiterate; and they are not. The interaction with mineworkers, during their strike last year, was an eye opener. That experience made me appreciate and respect ordinary citizens.

I am passionate about the APC. From the word go I undertook to build an organisation, and that took time. This exercise required capacity and infrastructure, and in the seven years of existence a solid foundation had been laid, and the APC was in the process of taking off in the political landscape of our country in an exciting way, but most importantly, in a sustainable manner. The route taken was to build the APC block by block, so that it survived the individual leader – Themba Godi. The organisation is not about me; it is about a vision, values and principles. As an individual and the work that I’ve done, in trying to bring about accountability, is appreciated all-round, but building the APC is something else. Steady progress is being made, so far we are greatly satisfied that a proper foundation has been laid. This is evident in the plans. The APC wants 8 to 10 MPs in Parliament after 2014 and a representation in all legislatures. Between now and the elections, the APC expects its members to interact with a million voters about the organisation’s vision.

The APC is a national organisation. On formation it was made clear that it was not going to be a regional organisation. As things stand, the organisation has a good following in eight of the nine provinces. We are struggling to make a breakthrough in the Western Cape. This is the only province that appears to be a challenge.

My message is to prospective APC members. The organisation wants to see change happen in the best interest of the disempowered people and the voiceless. The work I had been doing in holding government to account could only be strengthened by a stronger voice of the APC in the legislatures. It is the responsibility of all South Africans to put their shoulders to the wheel in order to get our country right. We cannot abscond from that responsibility. The APC would provide that political platform.

The message is intended for the average person who wants to see the country move forward; who wants to serve their country and its people with integrity; who want good governance; who want to see the kind of values and the kind of leadership that was far more different than what we have. The work I do in SCOPA has come to embody the outlook of the APC as an organisation. What I do is not isolated but represents the values that as an organisation we aspire to.

For more about Mr Godi, see his profile.