Cape Town - The outcome of the ANC’s elective conference next month will impact the lives of all South Africans and therefore should be of concern to everyone.
Economist Dawie Roodt said the ANC conference would also hit all South Africans in the pocket.
“The ANC is still in charge of the country and our system of governance. People should care about this, as it will have a bearing on the county as a whole. This will largely impact our economy, which is very weak. So the ANC conference is crucial for South Africa,” he said.
Roodt said one of the biggest challenges for a new ANC leadership would be building the economy and addressing the huge social challenges.
“The ANC is likely to remain a political power. Whoever comes out as the ANC president will most likely be the country’s president. The current ANC leadership has been very destructive to the economy.
"We need a bigger change, and President Jacob Zuma is not the only one to be blamed here.
"But the damage is long term. We need to deal with political elite and if we don’t, we are going to have these problems for a very long time,” he warned.
Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma are the two front runners to succeed Zuma as ANC president.
While the economy and job creation are key for the country, anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee said the ANC’s conference was crucial for South Africa and it should also focus on the rampant crime.
“The strength of the ANC is much likely to be the strength of the country. Like them or not, the ANC are the leaders of this country and we are going to have to take note of them.
"But we are going to need strong leaders, because our country is faced with many challenges,” Abramjee said.
“I hope that the leaders who will be elected will root out corruption, deal with the volatilities in the police leadership and act against the rampant crime we have in this country. Our country needs strong leadership now more than ever."
Ralph Mathekga, head of the faculty of political economy at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection, said the ANC was over 100 years old and it would be almost impossible to ignore them.
“The happenings in the ANC affect the government of the day, because it is the current government."