Branch leaders in corporations and institutions are five-fold:

(a) to explain and interpret the party policy of socialism and
self-reliance to the workers and managers of the industries.
These leaders must be conversant with and believe in the
policy of socialism and self-reliance.

(b) to conduct ordinary party activities (call members’ meetings,
collect dues, recruit members and supervise other party ac-
tivities) in industries and corporations.

(c) to deal with day to day problems of party members which
are not dealt with by the workers’ committee in accordance
with the 1964 Security of Employment Act, No. 62.

(d) to cooperate with workers’ committees in serving the in-
terests of the workers of public industries and corporations.

(e) the TANU industrial/corporation branch chairman will be a
member of the workers’ council. (My translation).

In practice, apart from the last duty, it is not very easy to pin-
point these duties. These branches cannot assume the functions of
discussion planning, production, sales, and such things which in
fact are the purview of the workers’ councils. Similarly, they can-
not discuss workers’ grievances authoritatively — this is a func-
tion of the workers’ committees. Yet these are the only concrete
forms in which ‘the party policy of socialism and self-reliance’ can
be ‘explained’ and ‘interpreted’. The tendency in most cases has
thus been for these branches not to have any specific functions.

That is why where they have attempted to involve themselves
in either planning and production or workers’ grievances, they
have often been warned against ‘interference’. The National
Development Corporation has frequently told off TANU leaders
in its industries who tried to involve themselves in these concrete
matters. So has the National Bank of Commerce, and other
national institutions. So much so that the word ‘interference’ is
now often associated with the TANU branches in parastatals.
Reporting on the 1970 Annual National Development Cor-
poration Group Managers’ Conference, Jenga stated that ac-
cording to the Minister of Communication, Works and Labour,

the industrial TANU branches are not to interfere with other bodies
but cooperate with them and provide advice regarding the application of
government policies in that particular industry.®?

When later the National Development Corporation issued to all

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