The 9th African National Congress (ANC) KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Conference has officially begun at the Olive Convention Centre in Durban. Acting Secretary General of the ANC, Paul Mashatile has delivered the keynote address, on behalf of the national office of the ANC.
He says this conference must take the party in the province forward. Mashatile says delegates must engage in robust discussions.
“While we expect robust engagements and also contestation, we trust that comrades will engage each other in a cordial manner, always bearing in mind that we are members of one ANC. We expect high levels of revolutionary discipline, from all delegates at this conference. The eyes of the world and our country are upon you.”
Mashatile called on delegates to use the conference to also discuss the socio-economic challenges facing South Africans.
ANC conference in pictures by Skhangiwe Mthinyane :
Delegates at the conference burst into songs in favour of former President Jacob Zuma during the opening session.
Delegates broke out in song singing, “Wenzeni uZuma”. This translates to “What Zuma has done?”
In the video below political analyst, Xolani Dube thinks what is going to happen at the conference is a contest of personalities:
Meanwhile, ANC KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Chairperson, Sihle Zikalala has called on all those who will be elected into the new leadership of the party to serve the people of the province.
He is among those contesting the position of Provincial Chairperson. Zikalala has given a political report at the conference.
He says the past four years have shown that it is important for the current top ANC leaders to put ordinary people first and maximise service delivery.
“Leaders will come and go, but the ANC will exist for the people of South Africa. As the current crop of cadres and leaders, we must always understand that ours is to serve the people. Embedded in the ANC’s vision is the recognition that the ANC lives as an effective and impactful organization.”
