More needs to be done: Zuma
There was much more that needed to be done to fully realise the vision of the founders of the African National Congress (ANC), party president Jacob Zuma said on Friday night.
“There is much more we need to do to lift all of our people out of poverty, to ensure that all have education and skills, that all have work, and that all may live safe, secure and comfortable lives.
“We have yet to correct the historical injustices of dispossession, economic disempowerment and exploitation,” he said at the party’s 104th anniversary gala dinner in Sun City near Rustenburg in the North West.
The ANC turned 104 on Friday, with massive celebrations planned for the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace in Phokeng near Rustenburg on Saturday. Over 120,000 people were expected to gather at various venues around Rustenburg.’
“We have yet to achieve a society in which the people share in the country’s wealth. We have yet to achieve a society in which the land is shared among those who work it,” Zuma said.
“It is for this reason that we have entered a new phase in our struggle, in which we have placed the achievement of radical economic transformation at the centre of all our efforts.”
He said the ANC, as the oldest liberation movement in Africa, continued to carry the hopes and aspirations of the people of South Africa.
“The movement was founded on this day in 1912 by men and women who sought to banish the divisions and jealousies among the people of this country and uproot the demon of racialism and tribalism.
“They dreamed of a better society, one in which all would be equal, not only in law, but also in wealth and opportunity. Today, more than a century later, we continue to pursue that vision.”
He said after a long and heroic struggle by the people of South Africa, they had realised the cherished goal of a democratic nation founded on the principles of non-racialism, non-sexism and equality.
“We have reduced poverty and created opportunities for millions of our people,” he added.
Zuma would, on Saturday, present the annual January 8th Statement of the ANC’s National Executive Committee.
The statement would identify the central challenges, responsibilities and tasks of the ANC for the year ahead.
Zuma said as the party celebrated its 104th anniversary, it would focus on the challenges and tasks that lay before it.
“We will continue this year to build the ANC and the Alliance. We will emphasise the responsibility of ANC members and leaders to promote activism in society.
“We expect our cadres to earn the respect of their peers and society at large through their exemplary conduct. They must be informed by values of honesty, hard work, humility, service to the people and respect for the laws of the land,” he said.
“We must work together to defeat patronage, the arrogance of power, bureaucratic indifference and corruption. We must serve the people selflessly and tirelessly.” - ANA
(File photo: Gallo Images)