An emboldened President Cyril Ramaphosa says the party’s elective conference, which starts today, will produce a “united” leadership that will drive renewal and fight corruption.
In his message contained in a brochure of the party’s Progressive Business Forum, Ramaphosa said the organisation’s 55th conference was a moment of great significance” for the ruling party and the country.
“This conference will emerge with a united leadership that will drive the renewal of the ANC, tackle corruption, contribute to building a better Africa and advance the transformation of our society,” he said.
“The ANC 55th national conference is a moment of great significance for the ANC and the entire country. The conference will emerge with the policies to respond to key challenges in South Africa – unemployment, poverty, crime, corruption and gaps in service delivery,” he added.
The crucial conference, which will see Ramaphosa square up with former health minister Zweli Mkhize for the position of ANC presidency, comes after the president survived a stormy last few days as his opponents intensified efforts to oust him.
On Tuesday, an attempt to use Parliament as a platform for the revolt against Ramaphosa and initiate a process to impeach him spectacularly failed after only five ANC MPs voted for the adoption of the section 89 independent panel of experts report into Phala Phala saga.
Last night, Ramaphosa put a brave face as he addressed a gala dinner on the eve of the party’s conference at the Expo Centre in Nasrec.
He said his presidency faced turbulent times.
“These have been difficult times for the country, for our economy, for the people of South Africa and our movement. In a space of just 5 years, we had our 54th elective conference and in that space of time, our country has been caught in strong headwinds. First came Covid-19 and that was soon followed by the 2021 unrest. As though that was not enough, the catastrophic floods hit us,” explained Ramaphosa.
He also cited Russian-Ukraine war and the delipidating energy crisis as some of woes that his presidency had to endure, saying the country can take solace into the fact that the economy was slowly recovering. Noting that the conference was a “watershed moment”, Ramaphosa added that despite the doom and gloom, there were substantial gains in fighting corruption and the state capture.
The most expensive table sold for R1.2 million to sit to the country’s number one citizen. The gala dinner has become a tradition and signature event for the ruling party. It is used as a key fundraising event happening a day after the official kick off of the conference.
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