Picture File: President Cyril Ramaphosa during the ANCs 110th anniversary celebrations. Picture: Gallo Images/Philip Maeta
President Cyril Ramaphosa has dismissed suggestions that the ANC’s national policy conference this weekend will be marred by chaos and factional battles, while urging delegates to focus their attention on finding solutions for the problems facing the country.
Ramaphosa on Friday officially opened the ANC’s 6th national policy conference at the Nasrec Expo Centre, in the south of Johannesburg.
The conference sets the tone for the ANC’s upcoming 55th national conference later this year in December.
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Ramaphosa said the three-day conference would demonstrate to naysayers that the ANC is able to “build and find consensus” on policy issues, despite the differences of opinion and divisions in the governing party.
“Many people in our country, including the media, expect this to be a conference where we’re going to fight among ourselves, and differ widely on a variety of matters of politics and ideology,” said the ANC president.
“We will demonstrate, as we often do and in accordance with ANC tradition, that where we might have different views and approaches on various matters – we are always able to build and find consensus and emerge with coherent policy positions,” he added.
Ramaphosa promised that the ANC would conclude the gathering “with clear policies and coherent positions because we’re the African National Congress”.
“This conference needs to send a clear and positive message about our determination to address the challenges that face our people and our country,” he said.
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Ramaphosa said the deliberations at the policy conference would determine the fate of the ANC, its alliance partners and the entire country.
He implored party delegates to come up with solutions to South Africa’s most pressing issues like the unemployment crisis and the state of the economy.
“Our deliberations over the next three days and the resolutions that we will adopt upon recommendation from this conference to our 55th conference, and the actions that we will then take, will determine the fate of our movement and indeed the direction of our country.”
Ramaphosa added: “The delegates to this conference carry with them the responsibility to shape policy proposals that will deepen the renewal of our movement and hasten the transformation of our society.”
He further said the conference should be a festival of ideas and formulate policies that related to the lived experiences of South Africans.
“The discussions that we’re going to have here must also be underpinned by finding solutions to the challenges that our country and our people face.
“I’d like our approach to go beyond lamenting on the challenges that our people face, but coming up with solutions.”
The ANC’s national policy conference is expected to close on Sunday.
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