Zuma warns ANC dissidents
2012-12-20 22:00
Bloemfontein - ANC President Jacob Zuma vowed on Thursday
to root out factionalism and to "deal" with dissidents and members
challenging the ruling party in court.
"Through political education and cadre development
as well as decisive action against ill-discipline, we will be able to root out
all the tendencies that we have identified over the years," he said in his
closing address to the ANC's 53rd national elective conference in Mangaung in
the Free State.
"These include factionalism, the sowing of disunity
and confusion within the movement, the use of money to buy members, positions
or influence in the organisation, the hurling of insults or even worse, the
attacks on members of the ANC."
Zuma announced that Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe,
who failed in his bid to challenge the presidency at the conference, would head
up a political education programme for the party.
"We must move away from saying how important
political education is, to actually implementing the decisions.
"We will be able to deal with the comrades who
disrupt ANC meetings and those who want the ANC to be now run on technicalities
and through the courts."
He said he discussed the political education programme
with the newly elected deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, and Motlanthe, the
former deputy president of the party.
"We are pleased to announce that former [ANC] deputy
president Motlanthe will lead this crucial ANC political education programme.
We thank the former deputy president," said Zuma, to applause from
delegates.
He said the ANC would be building "cadres who
respect actions taken by the movement to enforce discipline against others, who
know the implications of working with members who have been expelled from the
organisation, assisting them to undermine the organisation.
"There must be consequences for such ANC
members," said Zuma.
Working towards unity
Zuma referred back to the Polokwane conference when the
ANC assumed that all members were in agreement with the outcome and that the
party members would work for unity.
He said the process of collectively understanding the
democratic principles and internal democracy that prevailed within the movement
was not monitored.
“We must not repeat that mistake.”
Zuma said unity within the ANC would not happen
automatically and its members would have to work hard for it.
Zuma reminded delegates ANC members had a right to be
nominated for any position in the movement and to accept or decline
nominations.
“Therefore, no member or leader of the ANC should be
ostracised for exercising their democratic rights as members,” said Zuma.
The new year
Turning to the Leagues of the ANC, Zuma said they should
implement the work and resolutions of the Mangaung conference, the final
version of which was yet to be released.
"There are other very important outstanding
organisational issues for us to look at in the new year.
"For example the conference has in its wisdom, taken
a decision that the incoming NEC must discuss the matter of the ANC Youth
League. We appreciate that decision and the spirit in which it was taken."
He congratulated the newly elected leadership of the ANC
and thanked the outgoing leaders.
He also wished former president Nelson Mandela well,
saying he was in good care as he spent a 13th day in hospital.
Zuma broke into song as he ended his closing address.
"It's a long walk, Mandela said to his followers. We
will meet on freedom day," he sang.
Delegates in the marquee joined in as they waved ANC flags
and blew whistles and danced.
They cheered as Zuma repeated the song, which he also
sang when he opened the conference on Sunday.
- SAPA
