Johannesburg – Booing needs to come to an end, Deputy Minister Cyril Ramaphosa told hundreds of ANC members on Friday night.
“We must not be seen as people who insult others, people who are going to be trying to stop the meetings of other people, people who are booing other people. We are united and we must allow people to express themselves because we know that we are the bearers of good news and the truth, we have a historic responsibility to unite not only our communities, but the people of South Africa.
Ramaphosa said the ANC needed to bring people together, even those who benefited from apartheid.
"The ANC is no longer seen and heard as the movement that is leading the project of non-racialism in our country, we are no longer the movement that unites all people. Some are saying the ANC is just for Africans, that is not so ... we are the uniters of the nation,” Ramaphosa said.
Our movement is divided
He was addressing the members and the leadership of the region and was joined by Dr Mathole Motshekga, his wife Minister Angie Motshekga, and Reverend Frank Chikane at the launch of the ANC’s OR Tambo Fridays. He was speaking at the Ivory Park North Hall to the ANC's Greater Midrand Zone 15.
His statements came after Zuma was booed at the Cosatu May Day rally in Bloemfontein where members did not want him to address them, forcing all speeches to be cancelled.
The federation has called for Zuma’s resignation and have publicly stated that they endorsed Ramaphosa to be the next president.
He said, “We need to critically reflect on this project of uniting our people as a whole and the ANC itself. Right now our movement is divided and ... factions have formed in our movement.”
Ramaphosa told the gathering that they were not branches that gathered only during the elections.
“There are some branches that only gather during the elections or conferences.”
Another important task he said, was to unite the alliance.
“It is only a united ANC that can unite our country and effectively pursue the program of fundamental transformation. While there are many in the opposition camp who are working very hard to weaken and ultimately destroy the ANC, it is our own actions that will determine whether we will become an effective or strong and united ANC. We should not even be focusing on the opposition, we should focus on ourselves and ensure that our side is united and have the courage to acknowledge that the movement that we belong to, is plagued by factions…”
'Condemn those amongst us who act dishonestly'
He told the gathering that it had a responsibility of uniting the ANC.
Ramaphosa said competing for resources was what divided ANC members.
“Never let money come between you and your comrades. If you allow that then this unity that you have as a zone will be destroyed. We should build values and principles founded by the ANC.”
He told the gathering to hold on to the values and principles of the ANC.
“Never ever allow the values of the ANC to be taken from you, they are yours…”
He also told the gathering to remain respectful and honest.
“In everything that we do, we need to ensure [that we are] constructive in our engagements and not underpinned by lies and being dishonest.”
He said he had learnt from Oliver Tambo not to listen to gossip and to keep the movement alive.
“That means our leaders have a responsibility and we must condemn those amongst us who act dishonestly, violate the values of the ANC and if we don’t deal with them ... then dishonesty will become the new normal. We now say it is okay to be dishonest, to lie, to steal just a little bit. It is not okay because that is not how the ANC should function.
“It is also means that we must be able to tackle this new disease, that is now emerging, which we must condemn, the disease of booing, hackling and disrupting meetings. That must come to an end. [It] is un-ANC.
“I have been told that every meeting that I go to will be booed and hacked and I have been waiting but I know that I will not get it from here," he said, adding that those with grievances should have the space to speak about it.
He told the gathering that as it goes to the policy conference in June, they should look at the policies closely because they had an impact on the country.
“Make sure that the ANC leaves the conference with good policies that will solve problems in the country.”
'Restore the glory of the ANC'
He said the branches would take centre stage at both the policy and the elective conference in December. “Beyond the conference, it will be the 54th conference where you will make your presence felt. Your moment has arrived”
He told the gathering that the unity of the ANC was in the hands of the branches. “You will elect new leadership.
“When you go there, say no to all the bad things that have been happening in the conference, no to dishonesty. [When you] go there, you must say we want a renewed ANC, the ANC that will win 2019 elections. Restore the glory of the ANC."
He told the gathering to go to the conference to elect leaders that bring real radical economic transformation.
“I urge you to look at everything in the policy conference so that we can take the right decisions." He told the branches to focus on getting rid of the factions in the party, uniting leaders, and electing the best leaders for the country. “
We must now focus on 2019, never repeat 2016, and the only way to do it is to make sure that you elect good leaders in December,” said Ramaphosa - News24
Ramaphosa apologises to voters
Johannesburg - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has apologised to voters that boycotted the 2016 local government elections to teach the party a lesson.
“People that stayed away from voting for us in 2016 because the ANC must listen, we must listen to what our people are saying. Because if we do not listen, we will lose.
“In 2016, they stayed away and did not vote for us, they said they will teach us a lesson because we see you acting in a corrupt manner, wasting resources, stealing money and said they are going to punish us and indeed, they did punish us.
“We must reverse that, we have heard you [the voters] and we don’t want our people to punish us anymore and therefore must reclaim the ANC of [Nelson] Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Albertina Sisulu and we want it back, and want it back now.
“That was the ANC of integrity and great respect, when we have that ANC, then we will be able to change this country. We will be able to reduce poverty, unemployment and inequality,” said Ramaphosa.
ANC 'exists to improve the lives of our people'
He was addressing the members and leadership of the region, who were joined by Dr Mathole Motshekga, his wife Minister Angie Motshekga, and Reverend Frank Chikane at the launch of the ANC’s OR Tambo Friday’s by the ANC’s Greater Midrand Zone 15 at the Ivory Park North Hall on Friday night.
He said the party did not exist to enrich anyone and did not exist to do "funny things".
“It exists to improve the lives of our people.”
Ramaphosa said, “The ANC wants to see and do things in a radical way, now that our foundation [in 1994] is built and the platform is firm, we now want to be even more radical and change the socio-economic landscape of our country. The reason we want to do this is because many of our people are still poor.”
He said, “That is the job of the ANC, there is no one who can fix that problem other than the ANC, all those who are talking, they are dreaming,” he said in isiZulu.
“No other movement will be able to transform South Africa to be the South Africa of our dreams other than the ANC.”
He praised the zone, saying it was the branches vibrancy and vigour that could change the lives of people.
“It is about the ANC regaining its role as the leader in society. We have lost that role of being the leader of society.”
He said nationally, the party had lost this role.
“That is why the likes of comrade Reverend Frank Chikane stood up; it is because they are concerned about the status of the ANC, they are not mad, they are fine in the head.
“They stood up out of deep love for the African National Congress. They are driven by love, they do not have hate in their hearts, and they do this out of love.”
Call for the ANC to lead
He said those that had broken ranks and called the party to order were speaking because they were concerned about the ANC seemingly losing its role in society.
“Our task now is to regain that role, to be once again leaders of society; the ANC should lead, we are not used to being followers and now are following others.
“The ANC must always be in front, because that is where it belongs, it is the pillar of this country…”
He said once the ANC leads in society, it will regain its power in the country.
“We will be able to achieve real economic transformation, not umkokoleta [not a phoney one]; radical transformation which is going to transform the lives of our people. Not radical economic transformation for certain people, or certain groups or families, but for all South Africans.”
“When the ANC speaks, people will listen and know that the ANC is telling the truth, not lying. ANC of great integrity. This is an ANC of respect, of good behaviour, of doing all good things that need to be done in society. That is where we will be able to measure our success.”
He said the party would be able to measure its success once it had reduced in equality and unemployment was a problem of the past.
He said the National Development Plan says the government, by 2030, should have reduced unemployment to 6%.
Ramaphosa said this is possible only if government uses its resources properly.
“If we are not going to steal money, it is possible to do so. If we are not going to be corrupt, it is possible to do so.”
He said the ANC needed to play a role of uniting South Africans.
“Today the ANC is not seen as a movement that is united anymore and we are saying we must go back to where we were; we must be the ANC that unites all our people, that works with all our sectors, in our communities, going house to house, church to church, NGO to NGO…
“We built the most united front in this country and we brought down the ugly oppressors of apartheid and that is where we need to go back…” he said.
