ANC will eliminate ‘alien tendencies’, apartheid

ANC president Jacob Zuma. Picture: Khaya Ngwenya/City Press

The ANC will promote discipline in the party in an effort to eliminate “alien tendencies”, President Jacob Zuma has said.

“The movement will continue prioritising organisational discipline and eradicate the alien tendencies that have crept into our movement over the years,” he said today in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

“These include factionalism, the violent disruption of our meetings and attacking other members, public spats and unauthorised public utterances, the use of money to buy members and the manipulation of ANC processes for pre-determined outcomes.”

While Zuma was addressing thousands of ANC members at the party’s 101st anniversary celebration at Kings Park Stadium, he added that the ANC has committed itself to eliminate the legacies of apartheid during “the second phase of transition”.

“The 53rd national congress (in Mangaung), deliberated around the impact of the racist legacy that persisted with poverty, unemployment and inequality,” Zuma said.

“As we enter the second phase of the transition, we commit ourselves to a programme of action to speed up the elimination of these legacies and bring about socio-economic freedom.”

He said the party had made “substantial progress” since the first democratic elections in 1994.

Zuma continued to say the ANC drew a line against ill-discipline at its national general council in 2010. “Anyone who crosses that line will face the consequences.

“We call on all ANC members to subject themselves to the discipline of the ANC. The ANC is the leader of society and our behaviour must always be beyond reproach.”

He said people should remember that the ANC was the only organisation capable of uniting South Africa. “We delivered freedom, and we shall deliver prosperity and socio-economic freedom in our lifetime.”

Zuma announced the winners of ANC achievement awards and read out the names of members who had died in 2012.

- Sapa