The January 8 statement is a significant part of the ANC in that it is the date the party was formed in 1912. Speaking onMorning Live, political analyst Professor Somadoda Fikeni said during the exile years Oliver Tambo made it a tradition to make a policy statement which would signal the direction the party would follow in that particular year and what strategies it would follow.
Since the party became the governing party, the January 8 statement gives a preview of the State of the Nation Address as well as the party itself.
Fikeni says what might come out of this year’s statement is the issue of unity in the party, restoring discipline as well as emphasis that the national development plan is the plan that will guide all ANC policies going forward. He says he believes that it is good and well to have the plan, but it will be interesting to hear how the party plans to implement this.
Fikeni says discipline in the ANC has eroded and the party is characterised by conflict, tension and fraud. “It will be interesting to see how the President will address these issues,” says Fikeni. Edited by Busi Magudulela
For more on this interview click below.
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