Ramaphosa tells supporters in Dawn Park only honesty can save the ANC
The Thembisile Branch in Ward 43 hosted a memorial lecture for the late struggle stalwart Moses Kotane in Dawn Park on September 16.
ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa was the keynote speaker and he highlighted that Kotane gave his whole life to the struggle for freedom, justice and equality, the Boksburg Advertiser reported.
Ramaphosa told ANC supporters, who came out in large numbers, that Kotane was a dedicated internationalist who believed in the ideal global humanity as well as equality for all.
Reading from said: “In the 1930s, Kotane said he suggests that the party should become Africanised because he had a sense that the party was under the influence of the Europeans.
“He also said that the party must pay special attention to the challenges faced by people in South Africa; he said the party must study the conditions in South Africa and consentise the people’s demands from first-hand information.”
He also made reference to the watershed Morogoro conference in the 1960s‚ saying the sentiments of that conference were similar to those expressed by Kotane more than 30 years prior to that.
Ramaphosa said that as the governing party they have the historic responsibility and electoral mandate to unify the country on the basis of hard-won constitutional democracy.“We have the responsibility to represent all people regardless of where they are in the country.
“Our task as the ANC is to transform South Africa to be the dream of the people and we must do so by understanding the conditions people live under.
“We must be like Kotane, who didn’t theorise but did something to instil change in people’s lives. When people say that they don’t have jobs we must know what they mean and it is through this we will find answers for that situations.
“The ANC has been seen as being more and more distant from the people. We have been moving away from a social base, are seen as being connected to corruption and as people who are there for their own personal enrichment.
“We need to be honest because when we are honest we will be able to reinvigorate this movement,” Ramaphosa said.
He further advised supporters that when they face challenges or factionalism, they need to dig into history and find out if the ANC failed them in the past and stick together in this same movement.
Read original article on www.boksburgadvertiser.co.za
