- President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned the ANC NEC to be frank about its work over the past five years and to admit its shortcomings.
- He was delivering the closing speech of the last ordinary session of the CNE.
- Ramaphosa said that only a frank assessment would help move the party forward.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) to be honest about its shortcomings when the leadership delivers its organizational and political report to delegates at next month’s elective conference.
“We must ensure that our political and organizational briefings are frank, critical and comprehensive, so that we can empower delegates to create a program that will lead our movement into a new phase of renewal and rebuilding,” Ramaphosa said.
On Sunday he delivered closing remarks at the NEC meeting, which was held over the weekend in Nasrec, south of Johannesburg.
While this NEC was expected to focus primarily on preparation for the upcoming conference, most of the deliberations focused on the allegations Ramaphosa faces regarding Phala Phala.
There was an attempt to force the president to step aside, but was thwarted by his allies.
Zweli Mkhize was also under fire, and the integrity commission was expected to present its Digital Vibes report.
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But the Phala Phala and Digital Vibes reports were not filed, and the commission said it needed more time on the first report, but no clear reason was given why the Digital Vibes report was not filed.
As such, the agenda for this last regular NEC meeting has not been completed and it is expected that there will be a special NEC meeting prior to the conference.
Ramaphosa said that the outgoing NEC had a month left in command and had to ensure that, during this time, it compiled full reports “for delegates on the implementation of the mandate given to us at the 54th national conference.”
Ramafosa said:
This report will be greatly enriched by the discussions we’ve had here, and our report will reflect that this NEC has had to face serious challenges. We can point to various achievements and advances in various areas. Still, at the same time, we will need to acknowledge our shortcomings and our failures as NEC, as we also point out some of the areas where we have really made progress.
He added that the NEC welcomed the report on the preparation of the 55th national conference, which will be held from December 16 to 20.
Ramaphosa thanked the thousands of ANC members who had gathered in recent weeks at their branch general assemblies, to elect delegates to the national conference and nominate people for the NEC election.
He added that “some branches took the time to discuss the substantive issues that will also be discussed during the elective conference, including organizational renewal, constitutional reforms, and the ANC’s strategies and tactics in the transformation program.”
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Ramaphosa described the upcoming conference as a “moment of great importance for the ANC and our country.”
He said:
It will demonstrate the ANC’s internal democratic processes at work and the commitment of ANC members to the renewal and unity of our organization.
