Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma says everything is being done to ensure the ANC has a successful 54th national conference this month and for a smooth transition into the future.
Zuma was giving his keynote address on at the first day of the Energy Indaba held at the Gallagher Estate Convention Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg.
The two-day conference will see industry experts deliberate on energy development, transformation in the sector as well as discussions around different forms of energy and how they could be used to grow the economy.
Speaking further on the ruling party's conference, Zuma said the ANC's national executive committee had convened its last ordinary meeting last weekend, adding the meeting was one of the warmest, most productive and most comradely gatherings senior leadership has ever held.
"The NEC was united in the resolve to ensure a successful, peaceful, orderly conference, Zuma said, adding during his recent dinner with the seven presidential hopefuls, they had all agreed on the need to ensure unity, order and cohesion at the conference.
Zuma who earlier joked and informed delegates at the Energy Indaba that he was extremely happy that by the end of the conference, he will no longer be leader of the party, said he would work with all comrades and colleagues to ensure a successful and seamless handover to the new leadership.
"We need to unite as a nation and ensure that we face the challenges together and find solutions together, as we build a prosperous South Africa," Zuma said.
The much-anticipated conference takes place from December 16-20 at the Nasrec Expo Centre. While thousands of delegates are expected to converge on Naserec to elect new leadership and adopt various policies set down by members following a policy conference in December, the
race has heated up between the two leading candidates ANC Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and former African Union chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
Recently, Provinces had also held their provincial general councils as means to officially declare their preferred candidates.