Extract from Karis & Carter

1. NAME

The name of the organisation shall be the Pan Africanist Congress, hereinafter referred to as the P.A.C.

2. AIMS AND OBJECTS:

(a) To unite and rally the African people into one national front on the basis of African nationalism.

(b) To fight for the overthrow of White domination, and for the implementation and maintenance of the right of self-determination for the African people.

(c) To work and strive for the establishment and maintenance of an Africanist socialist democracy recognising the primacy of the material and spiritual interests of the human personality.

(d) To promote the educational, cultural and economic advancement of the African people.

(e) To propagate and promote the concept of the Federation of Southern Africa, and Pan Africanism by promoting unity among peoples of Africa.

3. MEMBERSHIP:

(a) Any African who is of the age of 16 years or above and accepts the principles, programmes and discipline of the P.A.C. shall be eligible for membership, provided that:

(i) He/She is not a member of any political organisation whose policy is inconsistent with that of the P.A.C.

(ii) The National Executive Committee shall from time to time determine whether a certain Organisation's policy is inconsistent with the cause of the P.A.C.

(iii) In doubtful cases applications shall be forwarded by the Local Executive Committee to the National Executive Committee, together with the reasons for doubt, before the application is accepted or rejected.

Then and only then shall the NEC issue such applicant, upon payment of the enrolment fee, a membership card after which the applicant shall be regarded as a member of the P.A.C.

(b) Application for membership shall be normally made on duly prescribed forms which shall be completed by the applicant and forwarded for consideration by the National Executive Committee.

(c) Each individual member of the P.A.C. shall pay a subscription fee of 2/6 per annum.

(d) On enrolment each member shall be supplied with a membership card.

4. FINANCE:

(a) The general funds of the P.A.C. shall be derived from proceeds of functions (parties, dances, football matches, etc.), voluntary subscriptions, levies, appeals, donations, bequests, sales of P.A.C. literature, badges, subscription fees of individual members and other sources approved by the P.A.C .

(b) It shall be competent for the National Executive Committee to finance projects and to request the members to make contribu­tions to such projects should general funds be inadequate.

(c) Funds contributed by members for any specific purpose shall not be alienated for any other purpose save by the resolution of the N.E.C.

(d) The National Executive Committee shall establish, manage and administer a National Reserve Fund, and at the end of the financial year the N.E.C. may vote a sum to be determined for this purpose.

(e) The N.E.C. shall at the end of each year prepare estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the ensuing year, such estimates shall be submitted to the Annual Conference for consideration.

(f) The financial year of the P.A.C. shall begin on the 1st day of November to the 31st day of October the following year.

(g) All N.E.C. accounts other than recurring expenditure such as rent, salaries, petty cash, shall be submitted to the N.E.C. for approval prior to payment; and an amount not exceeding £ 10 shall be granted from time to time as petty cash.

(h) All national funds shall be deposited in a bank, and applications for withdrawal must be signed by the Treasurer-General and either the National Secretary or the President.

•  Subscription fees shall be equally distributed between the three organs of the P.A.C. namely the Branch, the Region and the National organs. Also provision for the keeping of monies shall apply mutatis mutandis between the three organs of the P.A.C. unless otherwise indicated.

(j) The N.E.C. shall at the end of the financial year cause the Treasurer-General to prepare and submit audited accounts to the National Conference.

5. THE NATIONAL FLAG.

The official colours of the P.A.C. shall be green, black and gold. The P.A.C. flag shall be green field with a black map of Africa and a gold star in the north-west of Africa. Green shall represent the youth and vitality of the continent. Black shall represent the colour of its people, and gold shall represent the wealth actual and potential.

6. THE ANNUAL AND SPECIAL NATIONAL CONFERENCE

(a) The National Conference of the P.A.C. shall be the supreme organ of the organisation and shall lay down the broad basic policy and programme of the P.A.C. and its decisions shall be binding on all members and all organs of the Pan Africanist Congress.

(b) The annual National Conference shall be held at such time and place as may be decided upon by previous Conference or, in the absence of such a decision, by the National Executive Committee.

(c) The functions, duties and powers of the National Conference shall be supervisory, deliberative, administrative and determinative.

(d) A special National Conference may be called by the N.E.C. in cases of emergencies.

(e) Upon receipt of a requisition signed by one-third of the number of branches represented at the previous Conference, a special Conference shall be called by the N.E.C. in connection with the subject matter of the requisition within six weeks of the receipt of such requisition by the National Secretary or President.

(f) The Annual Conference shall consider reports and audited accounts presented by the N.E.C.

(g) Branches which are in full compliance with their fees shall be entitled to be represented at a General Conference by one delegate for every 15 members, provided that no single Branch shall be represented by more than 10 delegates.

(h) Any Branch of the P.A.C. which is in arrears with its subscription fees/levies shall have no right to participate in any General Conference.

(i) At least six weeks before the date for the holding of an Annual Conference the N.E.C. shall frame and circulate an agenda to all branches of the P.A.C. To secure inclusion in the agenda of items from the Region or Branches, these must be forwarded to the National Secretary at least 8 weeks before the date of the Conference. Delegates to the Conference shall be entitled to move amendments at Annual and Special Conferences to any resolutions or proposals, or to any proposed alteration to the Constitution that may appear on any agenda paper of such Conference.

(j) Only P.A.C. organs such as Branches, and not individual members, shall send resolutions for determination at the Annual or Special National Conference.

7. COMPOSITION OF THE ANNUAL NATIONALCONFERENCE:

The National Conference shall be constituted as follows:

(a) Delegates from Branches elected subject to Section 6 (g) above.

(b) All members of the National Executive Committee and members of the National Working Committee shall be ex-officio delegates to the National Conference.

8. QUALIFICATION FOR DELEGATES TO NATIONAL CONFERENCE:

(a) All delegates to the National Conference must be bona fide members of the organs of the P.A.C.

(b) No person shall be a delegate for more than one organ of the P.A.C.

(c) No person who is in arrears with his subscription fee shall be eligible as a delegate to the National Conference.

(d) Every delegate must, as an individual, accept the Constitution, programme, principles and policies of the P.A.C. and conform to them.

9. COMPOSITION OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

(a) The N.E.C. shall consist of the following:-

(i) The President, the National Secretary, the Treasurer-General, Deputy Presidents from the Regions existing, the Secretariat consisting of the Secretaries for: Pan African Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Publicity and Information, Labour, Education, Culture, Economic Affairs and the National Organiser and three other members.

(ii) The N.E.C. shall hold office for three years. After the Regional elections the National Secretary shall summon the National Executive Committee, including the Chairmen of Regions who ipso facto become Deputy Presidents, for the election of a Senior Deputy President from among the number of Deputy Presidents. This senior Deputy President shall hold office, until the expiry [sic] of the NEC period of office, irrespective of subsequent Regional Election results.

•  The members of the N.E.C. shall not hold office in either the Regional or Branch Executive Committees.

10. THE NATIONAL WORKING COMMITTEE:

The National Working Committee shall be the main suborgan of the National Executive Committee, and shall consist of:

•  The President and

•  Four other members elected by the N.E.C. from among themselves.

11. DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE NATIONAL WORKING COMMITTEE:

(a) The N.W.C. shall see to it that the decisions of the Conferences and those of the N.E.C. are duly executed and its policies are duly implemented.

(b) It shall supervise the administrative machinery of the organisa­tion on national, regional and local levels, and shall take such measures as it deems fit to enforce the decisions and programme of the Pan Africanist Congress.

(c) The members of the N.W.C. shall normally reside in an area situated within a radius of 50 miles from headquarters to be indicated from time to time.

(d) The N.W.C. shall meet in a plenary session at least once in a month or, if emergency arises, from day to day to review the major trends, formulate tactics and modify strategy for the guidance of the N.E.C. and assume full powers for safe-guarding the basic programme of the P.A.C.

12. COMPOSITION OF THE REGIONAL CONFERENCE:

(a) The Regional Conference shall consist of representatives from each local branch as indicated in section 6. (g) above.

(b) The Regional Conference shall elect the Regional Executive Committee, composed of the following:-

(i) Chairman and Vice-Chairman.

•  Secretary and Assistant Secretary,

(iii) Treasurer, and

(iv) Four other Committee members. All the above-mentioned shall be elected every two years.

13. DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE REGIONAL EXECU­TIVE COMMITTEE:

(a) To organise local Branches within the Region, and to co-ordinate their activities.

(b) To carry out the programme and policy of the P.A.C., and the instructions and directives received from the National Executive Committee.

(c) To make recommendations to the N.E.C. on matters affecting the welfare of the organisation within their region.

(d) To implement the decisions of the Regional Conference, provided that such decisions are not in conflict with the programme and policy of the P.A.C.

(e) To submit the annual statements and reports to the Regional Conference and to the N.E.C.

(f) To help manage, control and guide the work of the P.A.C. in Educational and Cultural organisations in their Region under the General supervision of the National Executive Committee.

(g) To undertake all such activities as may further the work of the P.A.C. in the Region concerned.

(h) The N.E.C. shall at the end of the financial year cause the Treasurer to prepare and submit audited accounts to the Regional Conference.

14. REGIONAL FUNDS:

The National Executive Committee shall determine the manner whereby any funds of the Region shall be kept.

15. LOCAL BRANCHES:

(a) The local Branch shall be the basic unit of the organisation of the P.A.C. Each shall be governed by a Branch Executive Committee, which shall consist of:-

(i) Chairman and Vice-Chairman,

•  Secretary and Assistant Secretary,

•  Treasurer, and (iv) Four other members.

(b) The Branch Executive Committee shall be elected at the Branch Annual Meeting.

(c) There shall be a Branch meeting at least once a fortnight.

(d) Fifteen members shall constitute a branch.

16. DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF THE BRANCH EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

(a) To carry on organisational and propaganda work among the masses in order to acquaint them with the standpoint of the P.A.C.

(b) To keep in close contact with the masses, and to report periodically their experiences to the Regional Committee.

(c) To study the educational and cultural life of the people in their area.

(d) To foster the spirit of initiative among the masses by taking a leading part in organising them to solve their problems.

(e) To recruit new members and to collect the P.A.C. membership dues.

(f) To forward the list of members to the Regional Executive Committee and to report any act of indiscipline and other dishonour and disputes.

(g) To discipline any member of the Branch as provided for in the Disciplinary Code.

(h) To foster political and general education amongst P.A.C. members, especially the youth.

(i) The Branch Executive Committee shall prepare and submit a financial statement to the Annual Members' Meeting which shall have been endorsed as correct by the Regional Committee.

17. AMENDMENTS:

(a) This Constitution, or any part thereof, may be amended, rescinded, altered or added thereto by a two-thirds majority of members present and voting at an annual National Conference.

(b) Proposals regarding any amendment of the Constitution must be sent to the National Secretary at least two months before the Conference at which they are to be considered, and circulated in writing to the Branches at least one month before the conference.

(c) Two-fifths of the members shall constitute a quorum at any meeting.