On Friday, the ANC concluded its 55th national conference, which was a continuation of its Nasrec elective conference held last month.
In a hybrid conference, in which the party’s secretary-general Fikile Mbalula addressed the media at the Imvelo Safari Lodge in Mangaung, Mbalula said the ANC was committed to addressing the “socio-economic challenges facing the country”.
“The ANC is primarily about building a better life for all South Africans. The narrative by the conservative and neo-liberal forces in our country that suggest that life was better under apartheid and colonialism must be rejected and rebutted by all freedom-loving and democratic-minded people,” he said.
He tabled the following:
- Priority must be given to speeding up the resolution of the energy crisis, in particular undertaking critical maintenance at Eskom;
- We must grow the economy so that it creates jobs and empowers Africans, particularly the youth, women and townships and rural residents;
- We must introduce new measures to cut red tape and ensure small enterprises, co-operatives and informal businesses, particularly those owned by women and young people, have effective means of raising finances and accessing markets;
- We must do more to bring underutilised land into production and enable the state to acquire agricultural land for purposes of distribution to previously disadvantaged persons;
- The conference supported the continuation of the social relief of distress grant while government investigates modalities and affordability of the basic income grant;
- The security agencies must act more effectively to tackle rampant crime and corruption
- The conference condemned in the strongest terms the continued harassment and discrimination of black people, who are attacked and victimised based on their skin colour.
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