SoL comes to SA, fun and games in the ANC

Yesterday I attended a meeting about setting up a South African ‘fractal’ of the Society for Organizational Learning (SoL). This is an exciting initiative, aimed at bringing together people (consultants, researchers and practitioners) who are passionate about organizational learning, and who wish to share this passion with organizations in this country. A small group of people are leading this process, and it is planned to have SoL established by early next year. In the interim, interest is being sounded out with local companies and organisations, and a number of learning events are happening in which interested people are starting to share ideas about learning. One of the interesting things for me is that SoL recognises the idea that learning is a social process, which is consistent with how we see learning in Kessels and Smit The Learning Company.

We continue to live in interesting times in South Africa. It appears very likely that a number of high profile ANC figures will establish a breakaway party in the next few weeks. Mosiuoa Lekota (formerly referred to by ANC people as ‘Comrade’ Lekota, but now offered the designation ‘Mr’ Lekota) has declared his intention to call some kind of national convention in 3-4 weeks and sees this as a process of ‘serving divorce papers’ on the ANC. What does this mean? Is this the long predicted spilt?

The real question is whether any new party will offer a new or different set of policies to the electorate. Mere difference of style or leadership will not be enough to win significant political support, however disillusioned some sectors of society may be with the pace of service delivery. There is little sense yet that a breakaway faction will offer an alternative set of policies or a different programme from the current government, even while Lekota espouses a core allegiance to the ideas of the Freedom Charter. What is more likely is that the breakaway group will make alliances with the United Democratic Movement – led by former ANC member Bantu Holomisa – and other opposition elements. In this sense, my feeling is that the significance of the breakaway is that it will ultimately represent more of a continuing realignment of smaller opposition groupings, rather than establishing a real and credible alternative government.

But then, I may be wrong (as we know from previous blogs)!