Makhura tells Gauteng ANC to focus on policy, not elections

Makhura delivered his last political report as the head of the party in the province at its elective conference in Benoni.

The party’s deputy chairperson in the province Panyaza Lesufi and Cooperative Governance MEC Lebogang Maile are going head-to-head for the position of provincial chairperson.

“One of the important things in our country is that one of the major disappointments amongst our people is the failure to transform an economic system we inherited from apartheid and colonialism," Makhura said.

"That failure has created a situation whereby there are much fewer opportunities. And side by side with this is the growing tendency related to corruption and state capture and this has to be understood. The more the ANC delays in the transformation of our socio-economic system, the more the crisis for everybody."

He added: “And that is why it is very easy to find ANC people who are sucked up by the system, including its value system for greed and the underlying drive for greed it’s what lead people to be involved in corruption.

"And our own movement is at the centre of a situation now in our country where we are not effectively responding to the problems of assertive ethical leadership."

Makhura challenged delegates to not only focus on electing leaders but to also deliberate on ideas.

“I am absolutely confident that the ANC in Gauteng will emerge from this conference with a leadership that will move our province to the next level. I have no doubt at all, this conference is going to be a festival of ideas, not a festival of chairs, not a festival of insults," he said.

“It is absolutely important comrades and compatriots gathered here, that we regard ourselves having come here, that we’re here to seek solutions, policy solutions to people’s problems. And our people out there expect nothing less."

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