ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has urged the more than 80 ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) members as well as alliance partners from the SACP, Cosatu and the SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) gathered at the Birchwood Hotel to ensure the ANC’s decisive victory in the upcoming elections.
Ramaphosa closed the two-day ANC lekgotla on a “positive note” following the decisive suspension of former president Jacob Zuma on Monday.
This comes after Zuma defied the ANC when in December he announced that he will be campaigning for the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party while remaining a member of the ANC.
However, on Monday, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula revealed that the ANC NEC had voted in its majority for Zuma’s suspension following weeks of speculation over his future.
Ramaphosa said the lekgotla and the NEC meetings had spent time in discussions and debates on a range of issues affecting the more than 60 million South Africans who stand a better chance voting for the ANC than other counter-revolutionary forces who have been working hard to dislodge the ANC from power.
He said these forces have organised themselves within and outside the ANC through coalitions, factions and splinter groups.
“We know that there are social and political forces who are working very hard to undermine our vision of the Freedom Charter and to reverse the gains we have made sine 1994… It is important that we correctly understand the strategies and the tactics of our opponents so that we are better empowered and better able to deliver.
“In our January 8 Statement, we said that there are several social and political forces that are hard at work to reverse the gains of freedom. Their strategy is to consolidate forces through funding of coalitions, factions and splinter groups and fragmenting our support,” he said.
Ahead of the highly anticipated general elections, Ramaphosa urged members of the party as well as its alliance partners to go out there and campaign for the total and decisive victory of the ANC.
“We must win a decisive victory in the elections we are going to hold on a date we are going to announce soon.
“We must do this in order to improve basic services and infrastructure and combat GBV and build family as a unit. We must do this also to end load shedding and the logistics challenges we are currently facing and to strengthen the fight against corruption and crime for a better South Africa and a better world,“ he said.
On the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Ramaphosa said the country is standing by its principles and thanked those who supported the country’s case before the ICJ, saying it was a David vs Goliath fight that may result in sanctions and other punitive measures against the country.
“We take this opportunity to thank all the South Africans who have come out in support of our case and the legal team who ensured that our case is well articulated.
“There can be little doubt these forces will do everything to fight and their fight back may also focus on our domestic politics and elections outcomes in order to pursue a regime change agenda.
“This was a David and Goliath contest and whilst we have done what we believe was driven by our conscience, we are being blamed for taking this matter up to the ICJ and structures that they themselves set up in terms of the rules. So, we should not be blamed for doing so. We must stand firm and resolute as the path will not be an easy one,“ he said.
The Star