South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress leader Cyril Ramaphosa has warned his party members that factions within the organisation has left the ANC at its weakest.
“The ANC is today at its weakest and its most vulnerable since the advent of democracy… The division amongst us have also severely weakened our organisation,” Ramaphosa said while speaking at the party’s sixth national policy conference at Nasrec, Johannesburg on Friday.
ANC’s weaknesses were “driven by the competition for positions, the contestation of structures, and the pursuit of access to public resources,” he added.
“Our weaknesses are evident in the distrust, disillusionment, and frustration that is expressed by many people towards our movement and our government. They are reflected in our support in the local government elections in November last year, where for the first time, we fell below 50 per cent of the national vote,” he said.
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He also stressed that after this policy conference the party must emerge united and chalk out all the differences.
“We will come out of here with clear policies, a coherent position because we are the African National Congress…this conference needs to send a clear and positive message about our determination to address the challenges that face our people and our country. The national democratic revolution currently faces a number of challenges and perils. Our movement, the ANC has been weakened on a number of fronts,” Ramaphosa said.
The conference, which ends on Sunday, serves as an opportunity to make self-introspection, assess the strengths and weaknesses of the policies ANC has adopted in the previous conference, and reimagine better strategies that work for the party and more for the country.
It’s now or never for the ANC to try win back the hearts of its supporters.
“From this gathering, we need to send out a clear message of intent from our movement. A clear message that we are committed to the renewal and revitalisation of the African National Congress,” he said.
Amongst many issues, the conference is expected to address graft allegations against ANC members, those that have been implicated by the state capture Commission. At least 200 ANC members are on the list, including senior officials.
“The commission finalised its work last month, and the government has embarked on a process to consider all the commission’s findings and recommendations.
“As the ANC, we have consistently maintained that the Commission is a necessary part of the broader social effort to end all forms of state capture and corruption. We are therefore engaging with the findings and recommendations of the Commission to determine how these can help to enhance the process of fundamental renewal and rebuilding within our movement,” the president said.
He also said that the ANC needs to replenish itself, drawing more young people into its ranks and into its leadership structures.
“The revival of the ANC Youth League is critical for our movement. We must have a cohort of young people to take over leadership of the movement and country,” Ramaphosa said.
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