Zuma preach unity at conference

MBOMBELA – The president, Mr Jacob Zuma, has called for unity in the provincial ANC ahead of the local government elections in 2016.

The president was speaking at the closing of the party’s 12th provincial congress on Sunday.

Premier, Mr David Mabuza, retained the chairmanship of the Mpumalanga ANC . He was elected unopposed on Saturday at the conference in Mbombela Stadium.

Zuma made headlines later the same day when he removed the newly appointed finance minister, Mr David van Rooyen, and reappointed Mr Pravin Gordhan.

The announcement caused mixed reactions across social media. The portfolio Gordhan is vacating as minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs, will now be taken over by Van Rooyen.

Van Rooyen was sworn in as minister of finance on Thursday, making him the shortest-serving minister in South African history.

His appointment, after Mr Nhlanhla Nene was removed, saw the rand plunging to its lowest mark in years.

Zuma said one of the mistakes made by members was the assumption that one was only a leader when he or she was in the structures of the party.

“Even those without portfolios are leaders. Leadership is a broad term and it transcends holding a position,” he said.

He also congratulated the party for hosting a successful and peaceful elective conference.

“This is what is expected of ANC conferences. A conference should be exemplary to the general membership of the organisation,” he said.

A small splinter group called, Save Mpumalanga ANC, had threatened to apply for a court order to stop the congress. The group argued that the decision to approve a third term for Mabuza was invalid as it was taken by delegates and not mandated by branches.

Zuma said differences were important in any organisation because they assisted members to rethink their goals.

“Contestation during conferences should not divide the party but unite it. Party members must not expose one another’s weaknesses, instead it must help to forge unity,” said Zuma.

He advised members to elect leaders based on merit and what they could offer to the country, rather than look at charismatic qualities.

“It’s not the comrade who sings better who must be elected to lead the party, that one must go lead the choir,” he added.

The president urged leaders at grass-roots level to prioritise the communities they serve, saying that councillors were mandated to listen to the pleas of locals.

“We must work hard to serve our constituencies and never lose the role to be the life of our people,” said Zuma.

According to Zuma, conferences are important platforms for the party to look at its past resolutions and the challenges faced along the way. “This helps us to renew ourselves and take decisions that are binding to all members,” he said.

He added that it was advisable to look at political, organisational and financial reports of the organisation to inspect its progress.