President Cyril Ramaphosa speaks at the Central University of Technology in the Free State on Wednesday.
- President Cyril Ramaphosa hailed his second-term victory as ANC chairman, saying it symbolizes bringing hope to people’s lives.
- Ramaphosa was re-elected to the ANC’s national conference in December, beating out his rival, former health minister Zweli Mkhize.
- The party is set to complete its conference this week and also host its annual birthday celebrations in the Free State.
President Cyril Ramaphosa says his re-election, and that of his fellow ANC leaders, at the party conference symbolized a collective of businessmen ready to bring hope back to the lives of South Africans.
Ramaphosa said the new ANC leadership contingent was full of wisdom and ready to bring change back to people’s lives.
He spoke in Kroonstad, the Free State, on Wednesday as part of the ANC’s celebratory events on January 8.
The party turns 111 this year and Ramaphosa is expected to mark the occasion with a speech in Mangaung, the Free State, on Sunday.
Speaking at the grave of former ANC leader Zacharias Mahabane, Ramaphosa described party leaders as merchants of hope.
“With the new leadership that has been elected, it is action-oriented leadership. A leadership that wants to achieve a change in the lives of our people.
“We are merchants of hope. We are the leaders who will instill hope in the hearts and minds of our people because that is what the ANC is all about. The ANC must bring hope as we renew ourselves.
“It is a leadership that wants to generate a change in the lives of our people. We are the leaders who will instill hope in the hearts and minds of our people,” said Ramaphosa.
He was re-elected by a considerable margin in December at the ANC’s national conference, defeating his rival, former health minister Zweli Mkhize.
Some branches of the ANC did not endorse him for a second term as party leader, a point he said he had no problem with.
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Ramaphosa added that he did not see this as a betrayal.
In the days leading up to the conference vote, there were intense negotiations between ANC provincial leaders in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.
“This was a conference of branches, and a clear mandate has been given. In the end, those who might have wanted to engineer certain results saw how the branches and members of the ANC spoke. There is no treason in the ANC. What we did was the voice of the branches. This was a conference of the branches,” Ramaphosa told the media.
The ANC was unable to complete its conference in December, and the party has set aside January 5 and 6 to finalize its political conclusions and constitutional amendments.
Ramaphosa defended that the conference needed to complete its work, saying it was a first for the party.
“Time is always our enemy. We wanted to do things so well that the registration process took a long time and we allowed members to talk at length about credentials.
“The policies have been worked out, and the second stage of this conference will be to finalize them,” he said.
