Show of unity as Ramaphosa, Zuma gear up for elections

With months to go before South Africa goes to the polls, the ANC yesterday marked its 107th anniversary by displaying an unprecedented show of unity between President Cyril Ramaphosa and his predecessor Jacob Zuma.

The two walked alongside each other to lay wreaths at the resting place of ANC founding father John Langalibalele Dube at KwaZulu-Natal’s Inanda, joined by local, national and provincial ANC leaders.

Determined to mend any cracks in the ANC unity, caused after Zuma was persuaded by the party leadership to step down as the country’s president following Ramaphosa’s 2017 Nasrec election, Ramaphosa shared pleasantries with Zuma near Dube’s grave site – asking the crowds clad in ANC T-shirts, to applaud him.

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“We are reigniting the unity of the ANC as a whole – not because myself and ANC former president Zuma are here together,” said Ramaphosa.

“For me, this is quite special that I am walking alongside someone I have worked with in the past. We are committed to building party unity and ensure that it romps to victory in the coming elections.”

The party, said Ramaphosa, was “carrying out the ANC conference’s biggest mandate to renew and unite”.

“Today we are coming to the foundation of the ANC – a building block upon which the ANC house was built – to report back to president Dube.”

Later, addressing the January 8 Statement celebration, Ramaphosa described as “untrue” recent reports that he planned to call Zuma to a meeting and take him to task for his conduct.

“He is the former president who has the experience and knows the history of this organisation. I am going to use him for a long time. I am the luckiest president who still has two former presidents around me – Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma.”

Ramaphosa’s January 8 Statement centred on progress made by the ANC-led government since taking over power after the 1994 democratic elections.

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