ANC President Jacob Zuma says the policy conference provides them with an opportunity to reflect on the party and deal with issues affecting them. He was delivering the opening address at the ANC policy conference at Gallagher Estate in Midrand, north in Johannesburg. Zuma says the ANC should be able to cleanse itself and deal with anyone who crosses the line in terms of discipline. The ANC has in the past few years been marred by many infighting for positions and differences on policies which is one of the reasons why it decided to go on a renewal programme. “To maintain this character the ANC should be able to cleanse itself of alien tendencies which range from wanton ill-discipline to those linked to incumbency. These tendencies include social distance, patronage, careerism, corruption and abuse of power; ineffective management of the interface between the movement and the state; a flawed approach to membership recruitment and a decline in ideological depth amongst cadres.” Zuma also touched on the issues which have been raised by the ANCYL such as nationalization of mines, saying that such debates should continue to be held.He warned that destruction of property won’t be tolerated during service delivery protests. The President says the ANC is very proud of what they have been able to achieve over the 18 years of freedom. “Very few countries have achieved as much as us,” added Zuma. He thanked the drafters of the speech and welcomed the debate around the documents especially on the second transition which has been heavily criticized by many people including some people within the ANC.
– By Palesa Kobedi, Midrand
