Durban - There must be good reasons for wanting to change the leadership of the ANC, President Jacob Zuma said on Sunday in Mgababa, south of Durban.
Zuma said those who wanted change should explain what was wrong within the organisation and what was better to come.
He demonstrated the change sign used in soccer saying the change of leadership was not the same as replacing players in a soccer match.
Leadership should be nominated according to what it can achieve.
Zuma warned against a “new culture” of people nominating themselves to lead the ANC.
“The organisation should nominate... I should not nominate myself. If we don't fix this, it will ruin the organisation,” he said.
The decision on party leadership, to be made at its elective conference in Mangaung this month, would then be accepted by all ANC members, Zuma said.
“No one is bigger than the ANC, whoever says they are bigger than the ANC is crazy, that person needs help.”
Reports that there was in-fighting within the ruling party ahead of the Mangaung conference came from people who do not understand the ANC.
The ANC was a democratic organisation and allowed its members to nominate leaders according to programmes and policies they supported, Zuma said. - Sapa