Madikizela-Mandela: We cannot pretend we do not have problems
Struggle stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela believes the ANC needs fresh leadership to allow the party to self-correct.
Madikizela-Mandela addressed the media at the Mandela home in Soweto on Thursday.
ANC structures are currently debating the issue of a possible early elective conference, following the party's poor performance at the polls in August.
Madikizela-Mandela believes the party needs to do some serious introspection.
"I am the African National Congress, what is left of the African National Congress. We cannot pretend things are not wrong in our country," she said.
Madikizela-Mandela, who turns 80 on Monday, also raised the matter of corruption.
"Why do we have so much corruption? Everywhere you turn in every institution the one word that is on everybody's lips is corruption," she said.
Her remarks come only hours after ENSafrica released the 2016 anti-bribery and corruption survey.
Director of Forensics at ENSafrica, Steven Powell said South Africa is perceived by other countries, including the United Kingdom, as a high corruption risk jurisdiction.
Madikizela-Mandela further addressed the matter of free higher education, calling on government to listen to students' demands.
She described the ongoing violence on various campuses across the country as a tragedy.
"The state somehow must find a way of meeting the students half way, and find a way of resolving the issue," Madikizela-Mandela said.