African National Congress (ANC) president Cyril Ramaphosa has urged all the contending parties at the party’s 9th Eastern Cape Elective conference to disband their lobby groups and focus on the unity of the organisation.
He was giving closing remarks of the three-day gathering at the East London ICC on Monday evening.
The hotly Eastern Cape provincial conference concluded on Sunday night with Oscar Mabuyane elected provincial chairperson for the next four years. The conclusion of the conference was delayed by a day following a disagreement over the adoption of credentials.
The leadership contest was between arch rivals Mabuyane who was re-elected and businessman Babalo Madikizela.
Ramaphosa says both parties now need to work for the unity of purpose and stop purging each other.
He has slammed those who claimed that the African National Congress provincial conference in the Eastern Cape would descend into chaos, saying this is the year their organisational events will be used to strengthen unity and renewal of the ANC.
“I congratulate you comrade because you’ve shown commitment and resoluteness that ensured that this conference took place. Many thought that it would descend into chaos, even the front pages of some newspapers we saying it’s going to descend into chaos and I am glad you proved them wrong.”
Second term
The elective conference was dubbed – a precursor for the much anticipated 55th ANC Elective Conference again scheduled for Nasrec in Johannesburg. Although still six months to that watershed conference, the Eastern Cape delegates seem to have nailed their colours to the mast by calling for ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa to serve a second term as party president.
The newly re-elected Provincial Chairperson Oscar Mabuyane has revealed this while welcoming Ramaphosa to close their elective conference. Mabuyane says looking at Ramaphosa’s effort in leading the ANC under difficult conditions, he deserves another term at the helm of Africa’s biggest liberation movement.
President Ramaphosa has also decried reports of manipulation and vote-buying, saying all those found to have acted wrongly must be dealt with.
The ANC president says the ruling party seeks leadership that will better fulfil the ANC’s mission of building a united, non-racial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa. He says the newly elected leaders should uphold unity within the organisation.
“You came to this conference divide but now that you have elected your leaders the decision you’ve taken means that you want yourselves and your leaders to be united. You want to renew the ANC. I want to say to the five comrades who have been elected here your mandate is to unite this organisation here in the EC now that the branches have spoken.”
With no dedicated time for policy discussions over the past four days as delegates argued over the adoption of credentials, the president urged them to use their upcoming Provincial General Council to discuss policies that will enable their leaders to address rampant poverty and unemployment in the Eastern Cape.
